JPH11189325A - Conveyor device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a conveyor device capable of distributing articles while always keeping the suitable distributing attitude regardless of the difference of the weight of an article and without deteriorating conveying performance. SOLUTION: A distributing conveying means capable of being freely switched to the distributing state for distributing articles received and stopped by a stopper mechanism at branching parts (b) provided on a conveying path of a first conveyor 6 to second conveyors 7 and the non-distributing state for allowing the conveyance by the first conveyor 6 is provided. When it is detected that the articles are conveyed to the branching parts (b) by a load detecting means, the conveying operation of the first conveyor 6 is stopped. The distributing conveying means is switched to the distributing state after the set delay time passes. The heavier the weight of the article, the set delay time is changed and set on the basis of the information of the weight to be distributed, so as to be shortened.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a method for moving an article conveyed by a first conveyor from a branch portion provided on a conveyance path of the first conveyor to a direction intersecting the conveying direction of the first conveyor. Branch transporting means which can be switched between a branching state in which the articles are branched to a second conveyor for transporting the articles and a non-operating state in which the articles are transported by the first conveyor. Loading detecting means for detecting that the article has been conveyed to
A conveyor provided with a stopper mechanism for receiving an article conveyed on a conveyor and stopping the article at the branch section, a switching operation of the branch conveyance means, and a control means for controlling the conveyance operation of the first conveyor. Related to the device.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In the above-mentioned conveyor apparatus, conventionally,
For example, as shown in Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open No. 4-68023,
There has been a configuration in which an article conveyed by a conveyor is conveyed to a branch portion and received by a stopper mechanism, and then the branch conveying means is switched from a non-operation state to a branch operation state.

[0003] However, in the above conventional configuration,
Since the transport operation by the first conveyor is performed until the article is received by the stopper mechanism, the article forcibly transported by the first conveyor collides with the stopper mechanism, and the article is transported by the impact at that time. Since there are inconveniences such as the state being disturbed, the following improved configuration has been considered.

In other words, when the article detecting means detects that the article to be branched has been conveyed to the branching section, the first conveyor uses the first conveyor to reduce the impact on the stopper mechanism before colliding with the stopper mechanism. The conveyance is stopped, and thereafter, the article is received by the stopper mechanism by the inertia force of the conveyance movement and is moved until the proper branching posture is reached, and after the conveyance of the first conveyor is stopped, the article is stopped. After a lapse of a predetermined time that is predicted to move until it is received by the stopper mechanism due to inertial force,
In this configuration, the branch transport unit is controlled to switch from the non-operation state to the branch operation state.

[0005]

In the above-described improved configuration, disadvantages such as disturbance of the transport state of the article due to collision of the article with the stopper mechanism while the article is being transported by the first conveyor are avoided. Although it is possible, since the predetermined time is always constant, there is still room for improvement in the following points.

That is, in the above configuration, for example, the transportation is stopped as a predetermined time from when the articles are detected by the presence detection means to stop the transportation of the first conveyor to when the branch transportation means is switched to the branching operation state. When the longest time is set in the time zone predicted to move until the carriage is received by the stopper mechanism, for example, when an article having a large load is conveyed, the conveyance is stopped by the stopper mechanism from the stop of the first conveyor. Although the time required for the articles to be in the proper branching posture is shorter than the predetermined time, the branching / conveying means is not switched while the predetermined time has elapsed. There is a disadvantage that time is generated and the transport capacity is reduced.

In addition, if the intermediate time is set as the predetermined time, for example, an intermediate value within a time zone expected to move from when the transport is stopped to when it is received by the stopper mechanism, the above-mentioned dead time is set. For example, when an article with a small load is conveyed, the time required from the stop of the conveyance of the first conveyor until the article is received by the stopper mechanism and takes an appropriate branching posture is the predetermined time. Even though it takes longer than the predetermined time, the branch transport means is switched after the predetermined time has elapsed, so that the branch transport means is switched to the branch operation state before the proper branch posture is reached, and the article transport state is changed. May be disturbed.

The present invention has been made in view of such a point, and an object of the present invention is to avoid a problem caused by an impact when an article comes into contact with a stopper mechanism, and to prevent the article from being affected by a difference in the load of the article. Another object of the present invention is to provide a conveyor device that can always branch an article in an appropriate branching posture without lowering the transporting ability.

[0009]

According to the first feature of the present invention, the control means detects that the article to be branched has been conveyed to the branch part by the presence detection means. Then, the transport operation of the first conveyor is stopped, and after that, when the set delay time has elapsed, the branch transport means is switched to the branch operation state. Moreover, the control means changes and sets the set delay time based on the information on the weight of the article to be branched, so that the larger the weight of the article is, the shorter the set delay time becomes.

That is, the articles to be branched conveyed by the first conveyor are slid toward the lower side in the conveying direction by the inertia of the conveying movement when the conveying operation of the first conveyor is stopped. After the set delay time elapses and the stopper mechanism receives the proper branching posture, the branching and conveying means is switched to the branching operation state, and the articles are transferred to the first conveyor in a direction intersecting the conveying direction. Although the articles are branched to the second conveyor to be conveyed, since the set delay time is changed and set to be shorter as the weight of the articles to be branched is larger, in the case of a heavy article, , A short delay time is set,
Conversely, in the case of an article having a small weight, a long time is set as the set delay time.

Therefore, the impact when the article comes into contact with the stopper mechanism can be reduced as compared with the conventional configuration in which the article comes into contact with the stopper mechanism while being conveyed by the first conveyor. In the case of a heavy article, the inertia force due to the transfer movement after the transfer operation of the first conveyor is stopped is large, and the time required for contacting the stopper mechanism is short. After the transfer is stopped, the branch to the second conveyor is performed when a short set delay time elapses, so that the useless waiting time is reduced and the transfer capacity can be improved as much as possible. In addition, in the case of an article having a small weight, the inertia force is small and the first
Since the time required for contact with the stopper mechanism after stopping conveyance of the conveyor becomes longer, after stopping conveyance of the first conveyor,
Since the branching to the second conveyor is not performed until the long set delay time has elapsed, the branching operation is performed before the proper branching posture is obtained, and the conveying posture of the article is disturbed during the branching operation. The disadvantages such as can be avoided.

As a result, while it is possible to alleviate the impact when the article comes into contact with the stopper mechanism, it is possible to reduce the difference in the weight of the article without incurring disadvantages such as a decrease in the carrying capacity and a disturbance in the carrying. The present invention has been able to provide a conveyor device capable of branching articles in a proper branching posture.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect, the weight measuring means for measuring the weight of the article to be branched is provided on the first conveyor closer to the transport side than the branch portion. The control means is configured to change and set the set delay time based on the measurement information of the weight measuring means.

Therefore, the actual weight of the article conveyed toward the branching section by the first conveyor is measured, and the set delay time is set based on the measurement result. Even in a case where various kinds of articles are mixed, an appropriate set delay time can always be set for the branched articles.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, the control means according to the first aspect, wherein the control unit sets the delay based on the weight information of the article set in advance corresponding to the article to be conveyed. It is configured to change the time.

Therefore, since the weight information of the articles is input and set in advance, extra time is not required for the measurement processing and the processing is simpler as compared with a configuration in which the weight of the articles is measured in the transport path, for example. And the transfer capacity can be improved.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in any one of the first to third aspects, the stopper mechanism comprises:
It is possible to freely switch between an operation state in which the article conveyed by the first conveyor is received and stopped at the branching section, and a non-operational state in which the article is allowed to pass on the lower side of the conveyance than the branching section in the first conveyor. The control means stops the transport operation of the first conveyor and stops the stopper mechanism in a non-operating state when the article detection means detects that the article to be branched has been transported. To the operating state.

Accordingly, when the articles conveyed by the first conveyor are branched, the stopper mechanism is activated, and when the articles are passed through the first conveyor without being branched, the stopper mechanism is not activated. By switching to use the state, for example, to branch only the article of any type of a plurality of articles sequentially conveyed on the first conveyor to the second conveyor, or, The present invention can also be applied to a system in which a plurality of second conveyors are provided at different positions with respect to the first conveyor, and articles are selectively branched to the plurality of second conveyors.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in any one of the first to fourth aspects, in plan view, a part of the second conveyor is overlapped with the first conveyor without interfering with the first conveyor. By switching the overlapping portion of the conveyor to a transport state in which the transport surface is located above the transport surface of the first conveyor, a branching action state occurs, and the non-transport position in which the transport surface is located below the transport surface of the first conveyor. By switching the state to the non-operation state, it is possible to switch between the branch operation state and the non-operation state only by operating the overlapping portion of the second conveyor in the vertical direction. As compared with the case where a mechanism for branching is provided, the branching / transporting means can be simplified.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in any one of the first to fifth aspects, the first conveyor includes a plurality of rollers that switch between a rotationally driven state and an idle state. When the conveyance is stopped, the plurality of rollers are in the idle state when the conveyance is stopped, and the articles conveyed by the first conveyor by the rotation of the plurality of rollers are reduced to the inertia force after the conveyance is stopped. It is easy to slide and move, and the branching section can be reliably received in the branching posture by the stopper mechanism. Also, the second conveyor is
Since it is configured by a chain conveyor having a pair of left and right chains, by arranging the left and right chains of the second conveyor between the rollers of the first conveyor, the configuration of the branching and conveying means can be simplified. .

[0021]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of a conveyor device according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. This conveyor device is used for an automatic warehouse as shown in FIG. 1, and the automatic warehouse includes a storage shelf 1 for storing various articles A in a state of being placed on a pallet P. ing. The storage shelf 1 has a structure in which a plurality of storage sections for placing and holding the pallets P are arranged vertically and horizontally, and a plurality of sets are provided, each pair being opposed to each other. A stacker crane 2 having a vertically movable platform and forks is provided between the opposed storage shelves 1 along the rails 3 so as to be movable along the rails 3. The articles A on the carry-in lifter 4 provided on the entrance side of the shelf 1 are loaded into the storage section of the storage shelf 1 while being placed on the pallet P, and the articles A in the storage section are placed on the carry-out lifter 5. It is configured to carry it out.

A main conveyor 6 as a first conveyor K1 is disposed over the front part on the entrance side of each set of storage shelves 1, and articles A conveyed by the main conveyor 6 are palletized at a branching part b. The second conveyor K which branches and conveys to the carry-in lifter 4 while being placed on the P
A carry-in conveyor 7 serving as 2 and a carry-out conveyor 8 for placing the articles A on the carry-out lifter 5 on the pallet P and transporting the goods A to the main conveyor 6 are located at the entrance side of each set of storage shelves 1. They are arranged in pairs. An article carrying conveyor 9 is disposed on the upstream side of the main conveyor 6 in the carrying direction.
The article A in the article carry-in section 10 is configured to be placed on the pallet P and carried to the main conveyor 6, and an article carry-out section 11 is provided below the main conveyor 6 in the carrying direction.

The main conveyor 6, as shown in FIG.
A plurality of rollers 13 rotatably held between a pair of left and right frames 12 are arranged in parallel, and a roller conveyor that switches between a transport state in which each roller 13 is driven and rotated and a transport stop state in which the rollers 13 idle. It is configured. Each of the rollers 13 is rotatably supported by the left and right frames 12, and is guided by guide rollers 14 in each of a plurality of divided areas of the main conveyor 6, and is provided with a plurality of rollers 1.
The driving belt 15 slidingly contacting the outer peripheral surface of the driving pulley 3
6 and a driven pulley 17, and each of the rollers 13 is driven to rotate by driving the driving pulley 16 by an electric motor M, so that an article to be placed can be conveyed. I have. An electrically operated clutch CL is provided between the electric motor M and the drive pulley 16 so that power can be freely transmitted and cut off. When the clutch CL is turned off, each roller 13 rotates freely together with the drive belt 15. It is configured to be free.

In the branching part b of the main conveyor 6 with respect to the carry-in conveyor 7, there is a loading detecting means 18 for detecting that the article has been conveyed to the branching part b.
Is provided. The presence detecting means 18 includes a branch portion b
And a mounting plate 19 fixed to the frame 12 as shown in FIG. 3 and FIG.
The arm 20 is pivotally attached to the arm 20 and a limit switch 21 is also fixed to the mounting plate 19. Mounted as possible. further,
The arm 20 is provided with a cam member 23, the mounting plate 19 is provided with a stopper 24, and the arm 2
A tension spring 25 is interposed between the mounting member 19 and the mounting plate 19 so that the cam 25 comes into contact with the stopper 24 to prevent further rotation. It is configured. When the cam member 23 is in contact with the stopper 24, the idle wheel 22 for detecting the presence of the load is configured to project slightly above the upper surface of the roller 13, that is, the transport surface C of the carry-in conveyor 7. When the pallet P on which the article A is placed is conveyed by the rollers 13, the idle wheel 22 descends while rotating by the contact with the pallet P, and accordingly the arm 20 resists the elastic force of the spring 25. And the cam member 23 moves to the operating portion 26 of the limit switch 21.
To detect the presence of the article A.

On the other hand, the carry-in conveyor 7, the carry-out conveyor 8,
The article carrying conveyor 9 is a chain conveyor composed of a pair of left and right frames 27 and a pair of left and right chains 28 rotatably held by the left and right frames 27. The carrying conveyor 7 is connected to the main conveyor 6. On the other hand, the articles A are unloaded in a direction substantially orthogonal to the transport direction, and the unloading conveyor 8 and the article loading conveyor 9 load the articles A into the main conveyor 6 in a direction substantially orthogonal to the transport direction. And each conveyor 7,
Portions of 8 and 9 are configured to overlap with the main conveyor 6 in a plan view without interfering with the main conveyor 6.

The carry-in conveyor 7 and the carry-out conveyor 8 are arranged in parallel with each other, and the carry-in lifter 4 is provided at the end of the carry-in conveyor 7 in the carrying direction, at the starting end of the carry-out conveyor 8 in the carrying direction. The carry-out lifters 5 are provided respectively. The carrying-in conveyor 7 and the carrying-out conveyor 8 have substantially the same configuration except that the carrying direction, that is, the rotating direction of the chain 28 is different. The article carrying-in conveyor 9 is different from the carrying-out conveyor 8 only in the arrangement position. Since they have almost the same configuration, only the carry-in conveyor 7 will be described below.

As shown in FIG. 5, the carry-in conveyor 7
The whole is framed by a pair of left and right frames 27 and a plurality of auxiliary frames 29 connecting the both frames 27. The left and right frames 27 are extruded aluminum products, and as shown in FIG. It has a symmetrical cross-sectional shape having two spaces. Two slits 30 each having a T-shaped cross section for attaching various parts are provided on both lateral sides of each frame 27 over the entire length, and a chain is provided at an upper portion of the frame 27 and a bottom portion of an upper space. Chain holding members 31 and 32 for holding the frame 28 are attached over substantially the entire length of the frame 27.

Each frame 27 is integrally formed over the entire length in a seamless state, and at both ends thereof, a part of the upper part is cut out, and as shown in FIG. Among them, the drive sprocket 33 is provided at the start end in the transport direction, and the idle sprocket 34 is provided at the end portion in the transport direction. It is pivoted. And the driving sprocket 33
And the idler sprocket 34, the chain 28
Are hung in a single line, that is, in a series. The chain 28 serves as a drive endless belt for driving the carry-in conveyor 7 at the same time as the pallet P on which the articles A are mounted, and the drive sprocket 33 has a conveyor for driving the chain 28. An electric chain drive motor 35 as a drive device is interlocked and connected,
The chain drive motor 35 is fixed to each frame 27 using the slit 30.

The pair of left and right frames 27 constituting the carry-in conveyor 7 are configured to be swingable around a swing center B located immediately below the chain drive motor 35 attached to the starting end in the transport direction. And an eccentric cam mechanism 3 for forcibly driving the frame 27 of the carry-in conveyor 7 in a position where the frame 27 overlaps with the main conveyor 6.
6 are provided. The eccentric cam mechanism 36 and the elevating motor 37 constitute an oscillating drive device YK for oscillatingly driving the carry-in conveyor 7 and, as shown in detail in FIG. 7 and FIG. The motor includes a motor 37 capable of rotating forward and reverse, and a pair of left and right eccentric cams 38 driven to rotate by the motor 37. Each eccentric cam 38 is in contact with the lower surface of the left and right frames 27. By rotating the eccentric cam 38 forward and reverse by the motor 37, the carry-in conveyor 7 is
By swinging the whole around the swing center B, the main conveyor 6
A transfer posture in which a transfer surface C of a part of the carry-in conveyor 7 overlapping with the transfer surface D located above the transfer surface D of the main conveyor 6;
The transport surface C of the part is configured to be switchable to a non-transport position that is located below the transport surface D of the main conveyor 6.

A pair of left and right frames 27 of the carry-in conveyor 7
Among them, a stopper 39 as a stopper mechanism made of a metal plate is attached to the outside of the frame 27 located on the lower side in the transport direction of the main conveyor 6. The stopper 39 has a length that is slightly shorter than the distance between the inner surfaces of the pair of left and right frames 12 of the main conveyor 6, and the upper edge thereof is the upper surface of the chain 28 of the carry-in conveyor 7, that is, as shown in FIG. In a state in which the frame 27 is located at an appropriate distance above the transport surface C of the carry-in conveyor 7,
As shown in (c) of FIG. 9, a part of the carry-in conveyor 7 overlapping with the main conveyor 6 is conveyed by swinging the carry-in conveyor 7 around the swing center B. 9A, the upper edge of the stopper 39 is positioned lower than the transfer surface D of the main conveyor 6, and the surface C is positioned above the transfer surface D of the main conveyor 6. As shown in FIG. It is configured to be switchable to the transport posture. A metal plate-shaped guide 40 is attached to each of the left and right frames 27 on the lower side in the conveying direction from the overlapping portion of the carry-in conveyor 7 with the main conveyor 6 by using the slits 30 of the frame 27, respectively. The upper edges of the left and right guides 40 are also configured to be located above the transport surface C of the carry-in conveyor 7.

In the carry-in conveyor 7, at a place which is at an appropriate distance from the main conveyor 6, there is provided a presence detecting means 18 having the same configuration as that provided in the main conveyor 6. The mounting plate 19 holding the presence detecting means 18 is also provided on the slit 3 of the frame 27.
The cable of the load detection means 18 and the cable of the elevating motor 37 are installed in the space below the frame 27.

The above configuration is substantially the same in the carry-out conveyor 8 and the article carry-in conveyor 9, and the main difference is that the conveying direction, that is, the rotation direction of the chain 28 is different as described above, and that the main conveyor 6 overlaps. Stopper 3
9 is not provided. In addition, the attachment position and the number of the load detection means 18 are different, and
And the article carrying conveyor 9, the main conveyor 6
A load detection means 18 is provided in front of the overlapping portion of the above and at the end in the transport direction.

Loading conveyor 7 in main conveyor 6
A weight measuring means JK for measuring the weight of the conveyed article is provided at a position on the upstream side of the branching portion b with respect to the conveying direction. That is, as shown in FIG. 10, the movable frame portion 12a corresponding to the corresponding portion of the left and right frames 12.
However, the engaging pin 41 provided thereon is configured to freely move up and down over a predetermined range by engaging with an elongated hole 43 formed in a bracket 42 provided on the other fixed frame portion 12b. And a plurality of load cells 45 for detecting a load when the article A is placed on the movable frame portion 12a and displaced downward are provided. The weight of the article can be measured by the average value of the plurality of load cells 45. Note that the confirmation that the article A is placed on the movable frame portion 12a is performed by switching the presence detection means 18 provided on the upper side of the conveyance from the article detection state to the non-detection state. I have. Such weight measurement information is used for adjusting the operation timing at the time of the branching operation of the articles from the main conveyor 6 to the carry-in conveyor 7 as described later.

The article storage state of the automatic warehouse and the operation of each of the conveyors 6, 7, 8, and 9 are all stored and managed by the control unit H as control means comprising a microcomputer shown in FIG. The controller H is configured to be capable of giving an operation command to the controller H by an operation device 46 provided at an appropriate place. Hereinafter, the article transport operation based on the operation control by the control unit H will be described.

When the operator operates the operation device 46 to instruct storage, and inputs necessary information on the article A to be stored, the control unit H searches for the storage unit of the storage shelf 1 to be stored, and , The chain drive motor 35 is operated, and the article carry-in conveyor
Is transported to the main conveyer 6 while the article A is mounted on the pallet P. At that time, the conveyor 9 for carrying in the goods
Is switched to the non-transporting posture by the eccentric cam mechanism 36, and when the presence detection unit 18 in front of the overlapping position with the main conveyor 6 detects the presence of the article A, the eccentric cam mechanism 36 Is switched to the non-transporting posture again when the presence detection unit 18 at the end of the transporting direction detects the presence of the article A.

Thereafter, the article A is conveyed by the main conveyor 6 to the front of the storage shelf 1 in which the article A is to be stored. At this time, the carry-in conveyor 7 at the entrance side of the storage shelf 1 and the main conveyor 6 The measurement information by the weight measuring means is read in front of the branching part b, which is the overlapping part of. Then, when the presence detecting unit 18 provided in the branch part b detects the presence of the cargo, at this time, the transport operation is performed for the area corresponding to the branch part b on the main conveyor 6 and the area adjacent to the upstream side in the transport direction. Stop. That is, the clutch CL provided in the power transmission system with the driving electric motor M is disengaged, and each roller 13 is set in the idle state. At substantially the same time, the stopper 39 is moved from the non-operating state shown in FIG.
As shown in (2), the carry-in conveyor 7 is swung upward so that the upper edge of the stopper 39 is in an operation state in which the stopper 39 projects above the conveying surface D of the main conveyor 6. Then, the pallet P on which the article A is placed is moved to the lower side in the transport direction by the inertia force of the transport movement, contacts the protruding stopper 39, and the pallet P becomes the branching posture along the stopper 39. To be corrected. At this time, the chain drive motor 35 is operated to drive the chain 28 of the carry-in conveyor 7 in the non-transporting posture in advance.

Thereafter, after a set delay time elapses after the conveyance of the main conveyor 6 is stopped and the stopper 39 is switched to the operating state, the elevating motor 37 is operated, and FIG. As shown in (b), the carry-in conveyor 7 is switched to the carrying posture by the eccentric cam mechanism 36 to scoop the articles A together with the pallets P on the carry-in conveyor.
Therefore, the swing driving device YK for swinging and driving the carry-in conveyor 7 corresponds to the branch conveying means. By switching the carry-in conveyor 7 to the carrying state, the branching operation state is established, and the carry-in conveyor 7 is brought into the non-transport state. By switching to, the state becomes inactive.

Note that the set delay time is appropriately changed and set according to the difference in the weight of the article A. In other words, the maximum weight and the minimum weight are assumed in advance for a plurality of articles to be conveyed, and the weight becomes shorter as the weight increases, corresponding to a change in the weight of the article between the maximum weight and the minimum weight. As described above, the change characteristic of weight versus time to be set as the set delay time is set and stored in the control unit H in advance, and based on the actual weight measurement information of the article measured by the weight measuring means JK, The set delay time suitable for the weight is set from the change characteristics.

This is because, due to the difference in the inertial force caused by the difference in the weight of the article A, the time required from when the conveyance by the main conveyor 6 is stopped to when the article A is corrected to the branching posture by the stopper 39 changes. Therefore, by changing and setting the set delay time according to the difference in the time, the switching of the carry-in conveyor 7 to the branch state is performed at an appropriate timing without disadvantage such as too fast or too slow. .

When the presence detector 18 on the side of the carry-in conveyor 7 detects the presence of the article A, the lifting / lowering motor 37 is operated in reverse to switch the carry-in conveyor 7 to the non-conveying posture, and in this state, the article A is moved. The article A is conveyed to the position above the carry-in lifter 4, the operation of the chain drive motor 35 is stopped, and the article A is lifted by the carry-in lifter 4.

In the scooping of the articles A by the swing of the carry-in conveyor 7, the chain 28 of the carry-in conveyor 7 is driven in advance before the carry-in conveyor 7 is completely switched to the carrying posture. The transfer of the article A to the carry-in conveyor 7 can be performed in a short time. Further, in swinging the carry-in conveyor 7, the swing center B is located at a position away from the main conveyor 6, so that the swing angle can be small. Thereafter, the stacker crane 2 stores the articles A together with the pallets P in the storage section of the predetermined storage shelf 1. Conversely, when unloading the articles A, the stacker crane 2 operates in a reverse manner to the loading operation. The article is conveyed to the unloading lifter 5, and subsequently the unloading conveyer 8 is conveyed to the main conveyor 6, and the article A is finally unloaded to the article unloading section 11 together with the pallet P.

[Another Embodiment] (1) In the above-described embodiment, a plurality of second conveyors (loading conveyors) are provided in a state where the second conveyors (loading conveyors) are branched at different locations from the first conveyor (main conveyor), and the weight measuring means is provided. The configuration is provided for each of the plurality of branch portions b. However, the present invention is not limited to such a configuration. For example, one weight measuring unit may be provided on the upper side of the branch portion b located on the uppermost side in the transport direction of the first conveyor. And the control unit may control the switching operation of the second conveyor in the branching unit b based on the measurement information.

(2) In the above embodiment, the actual weight of the article to be branched is measured by the weight measuring means, and the set delay time is changed and set based on the measurement result. Instead of the configuration, the configuration may be such that the set delay time is changed and set based on the weight information of the article input and set in advance corresponding to the article to be conveyed. For example, for each of a plurality of types of articles conveyed by the first conveyor, the weight of the articles is assumed for each type in advance, and the control unit sets a predetermined delay time corresponding to the weight for each type in advance. Set and memorize. Prior to the start of the work, the operator sets which kind of article is to be conveyed and in what order, and the control unit sets the preset delay time which is set and stored in advance according to the kind of the conveyed article. It may be configured to control to change and set. In the case of such a configuration, as compared with a configuration in which the processing is performed while measuring the actual weight during the transportation, an extra processing time for measuring the weight is not required, and the transportation capacity can be improved.

(3) In the above-described embodiment, the stopper is formed of a metal plate, and is configured to simply receive an article. In addition to this structure, as shown in FIG. A limit switch type presence detector 47 as an article detector is provided outside, and a stopper 39 is provided.
However, when the pallet P rides on the stopper 39 due to a timing shift or the like, the presence detector 47 detects the pallet P and stops the rotation of the carry-in conveyor based on the detection result. In addition, a configuration may be adopted in which safety measures such as notification by an alarm means (not shown) are taken. Further, as shown in the figure, the stopper 39 is provided integrally with a chain disengagement prevention member 48 protruding toward the chain 28 over the entire length in the longitudinal direction, and the chain disengagement prevention member 48 disengages the chain 28. May be prevented.

(4) In the above embodiment, when the carry-in conveyor 7 as the second conveyor is swung, it is swung around the swing center B provided near the end opposite to the overlap with the first conveyor. Is shown, the carry-in conveyor 7
The swing center B may be provided at an intermediate portion of the above.
Further, contrary to the above embodiment, the first conveyor may be configured by a chain conveyor, and the second conveyor K2 may be configured by a roller conveyor.

(5) In the above embodiment, the stopper 39
Is shown as an elongated plate-shaped body orthogonal to the transport direction of the first conveyor (main conveyor), but two projections are formed near both ends in the direction orthogonal to the transport direction of the first conveyor. The stopper may be provided, or alternatively, three or more protrusions may be arranged side by side in the orthogonal direction. In the above-described embodiment, the stopper is provided integrally with the frame of the second conveyor so as to switch between the operating state and the non-operating state in accordance with the vertical swing of the second conveyor. Alternatively, a dedicated switching mechanism for switching the stopper between the active state and the non-active state may be provided. Further, in the above-described embodiment, the first conveyor is configured to be able to be transported toward the lower side of the transport than the branch part b. However, the branch part b to the second conveyor is provided at the transport end part of the first conveyor. It is also possible to provide a fixed stopper mechanism so that the branch part b can always receive the article.

(6) In the above embodiment, the presence detecting means 1
8 is constituted by the arm 28 having the idler wheel 30, the limit switch 29, and the like. Instead of such a configuration, various configurations such as a photoelectric sensor and a magnetic sensor are used. It can be implemented using

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic plan view of the entire automatic warehouse.

FIG. 2 shows a main conveyor.

FIG. 3 is a side view showing the presence detecting means.

FIG. 4 is a front view showing the presence detecting means.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a branch portion between a main conveyor and a carry-in conveyor.

FIG. 6 is a sectional view of a carry-in conveyor.

FIG. 7 is a side view of a carry-in conveyor.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of a carry-in conveyor.

FIG. 9 is a diagram showing a branch operation state;

FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a weight measuring unit.

FIG. 11 is a control block diagram.

FIG. 12 is a sectional view of a carry-in conveyor according to another embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

 18 Conveyance detection means 39 Stopper mechanism A Article H Control means K1 First conveyor K2 Second conveyor JK Weight measurement means YK Branch transfer means

Claims (6)

[Claims] 1. An article conveyed by a first conveyor,
From the branch provided on the transport path of the first conveyor,
A branch that can switch between a branching state in which articles are branched to a second conveyor that conveys articles in a direction intersecting the conveying direction with respect to the first conveyor, and a non-operating state in which conveyance by the first conveyor is permitted. A conveying means provided with a load detecting means for detecting that an article to be branched has been conveyed to the diverging section; and receiving the article conveyed on the first conveyor and stopping at the diverging section. A conveyer device provided with a stopper mechanism for controlling the operation of switching the branch conveying means, and a control means for controlling the conveying operation of the first conveyor. With the detection that the article has been transported, the transport operation of the first conveyor is stopped, and after a set delay time has elapsed, the branch transport unit is moved. A conveyor configured to switch to a branching state, and configured to change and set the set delay time based on information on the weight of the article to be branched, such that the larger the weight of the article is, the shorter the set delay time is. apparatus. 2. A weight measuring means for measuring the weight of the article to be branched is provided on the upstream side of the branching part of the first conveyor, and the control means is configured to transmit measurement information of the weight measuring means. The conveyor device according to claim 1, wherein the set delay time is changed and set based on the set delay time. 3. The control means is configured to change and set the set delay time based on weight information of the article input and set in advance corresponding to the article to be conveyed. Conveyor equipment. 4. An operation state in which the stopper mechanism receives an article conveyed by the first conveyer and stops the article at the branch portion, and the stopper mechanism moves the conveyer downstream of the branch portion of the first conveyer. The control means is configured to be freely switchable to a non-operating state in which the article is allowed to pass therethrough. The conveyor device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the transport operation is stopped and the stopper mechanism is switched from the non-operation state to the operation state. 5. In a plan view, a part of the second conveyor is overlapped with the first conveyor so as not to interfere with the first conveyor.
The transport state is located higher than the transport surface of the conveyor, and the non-transport state is located below the transport surface of the first conveyor. 5 is configured to be in the branching state by switching to the transport state, and to be in the inactive state by switching the overlapping portion of the second conveyor to the non-transport state. The conveyor device according to claim 1. 6. The first conveyor comprises a roller conveyor having a plurality of rollers which switch between a rotationally driven state and an idle state, and the second conveyor comprises a pair of left and right chains. The conveyor device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, comprising a conveyor.