JPS6044421A - Conveyor transport control system - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To reduce the load factor of a CPU by providing a means prohibiting or releasing outputs from product detection means provided at the termination point of each conveyor when products of each process transported by multiple conveyors are merged and performing diversion control during prohibition. CONSTITUTION:In a transport system conveying products P1, P2 transported on individual conveyors C1, C2 to a conveyor C3 via a margence point (a), sensors S1, S2 detecting the arrival of products are provided at the termination points X, Y of individual conveyors C1, C2 and a sensor S3 detecting the passing of products is provided at a point Z near the start point of the conveyor C3 respectively. In addition, a detection signal control unit 5 having functions to inhibit or release the reception of detection signals from the sensors S1, S2 according to the predetermined program is provided in a control circuit. When the reception of detection signals from the sensors S1, S2 is prohibited by this control unit 5, if the sensor S3 detects products, an interface control unit 6 scans the detection of products by individual sensors S1, S2, thus outputting a mergence signal.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Technical Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a conveyor conveyance control system for automatically conveying products between production processes, and in particular to a method for improving the merging efficiency of products conveyed by multiple conveyors. Concerning the conveyor transfer control system that can be used.

(Background of BL technology) Recently, with the progress of factory automation, automation systems for various production processes, parts, product warehouses, etc. have been developed and put into practical use, and automatic control systems for conveyor transfer devices are also being attempted.

An example of this is a conveyor system that conveys intermediate products between processes in the production process using multiple conveyors and automatically merges them one after another. It is desirable that the condition is good.

(C1 Prior Art and Problems) The conventional method will be explained below with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2. FIG. FIG. 2 is a control block diagram of FIG. 1;

As shown in FIG. 1, conveyors C1 and C2 are provided in a right angle direction, and products P1 and P2 are moved along conveyors CI and C2 laid down from a station (not shown) by an arrow A in the figure.
, are being transported in the B direction.

Conveyor C3 is arranged in the direction of arrow C from the confluence a of conveyors CI and C2, and continues to the next station (not shown).

At the end points X and Y of conveyors CI and C2, there are products P1 and P2.
Sensors S1 and S2 are arranged to detect when the vehicle arrives. Also, at position Z near the starting point of conveyor C3,
A sensor S3 is provided to detect whether either of the merged products PI and P2 has passed.

The products PI and P2 that have joined the conveyor C3 are conveyed in the direction of arrow C in the figure.

The merging from the conveyors C1 and C2 to the conveyor C3 is configured as one block, and the merging of a large number of blocks is controlled as one conveyance device.

Further, in FIG. 2, 1 is a main control section, 2 is an interface control section, 3 is a conveyor drive control section, and 4 is a sensor amplifier 1. , the interface control unit 2 detects the position Z by the sensor S3.
Sensor 31 . When receiving an interrupt signal in which either product Pi or P2 is detected by S2, a merging command signal is sent to the main control unit l according to a predetermined program, and the memory of the detection signal of sensor S3 is cleared each time the command is issued. have.

The conveyor drive control section 3 controls the driving of the conveyors CI and C2 according to commands from the main control section 1.

The sensor amplifier 4 amplifies the detection signals from the sensors S1 to S3 that detect the arrival of the products P1 and P2 and sends the amplified signals to the main control section l.

With such a configuration and function, when the conveyance device is driven and the products PI and P2 are conveyed on the conveyors C1 and C2 and sent to the terminal end at random timing, the sensors St and 32 detect If merging is possible in response to an interrupt signal, the conveyor C3 is conveyed in the direction of arrow C according to a predetermined program, and if merging is not possible, it waits until detection by sensor S3. That is, the next merging is performed after either product PI or P2 passes through position Z and is detected by sensor S3.

In this way, conveyor CI,
Product PI transported by C2.

P2 is controlled to merge at the merge point a and conveyor C3
and is sent to the next station.

Further, as a different method, the sensor S1. Regardless of the interrupt signal of the detection by S2, the interface control unit 2 scans the detection of the sensors 31 and 32 at fixed time intervals,
If either of the products Pi or P2 has arrived, it is equipped with a function to send a merging command signal to the main control unit 1 according to a predetermined program, and the product P1 or P2 is scanned at fixed time intervals and sent to the end point X or Y. There is also a method of controlling merging based on the arrival of vehicles.

However, according to the conventional method, in the former method using an interrupt signal, when there are many blocks and many merging points, the central part (not shown) of the control unit 1 that receives the interrupt signal detected by the sensors St and S2 Processing equipment (
The disadvantage is that the load factor of the CPU (hereinafter referred to as CPU) becomes high, and the latter method of scanning at fixed time intervals has the disadvantage that
Even if the products PI and P2 arrive during the time interval, they may not be immediately combined, resulting in a disadvantage that the combining efficiency is poor.

1d1 Purpose of the Invention The purpose of the present invention is to solve the above-mentioned drawbacks.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a conveyor conveyance control system that can improve the merging efficiency of products conveyed by a plurality of conveyors and reduce the load factor of a control section.

te1 Structure of the Invention The present invention includes a means for inhibiting or canceling the output of a detection signal that detects an arrived conveyed object, and a means for reading the detection output of the detection means at the timing when the conveyed objects after merging pass the merging position. This is a conveyor conveyance control system comprising a reading means, and when the output of the detection signal is prohibited, the reading means reads whether the conveyed objects have arrived at the merging point and performs merging control. By doing so, you can achieve your goals.

(F1 Embodiment of the Invention Below, an embodiment of the present invention will be explained with reference to FIGS. 3 and 4. FIG. 3 is a control block diagram showing an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. The same reference numerals indicate the same objects throughout the figures.

In FIG. 3, reference numeral 5 denotes a detection signal control section, and the sensor 31.
It has a function of inhibiting and canceling reception of the detection signal from S2 according to a predetermined program.

Reference numeral 6 denotes an interface control section which has the functions of the interface control section 2 described in the conventional example, and also controls the sensor 31 . When reception of the detection signal by S2 is prohibited, at the timing when either product PI or 'P2 passes position Z, that is, when sensor S detects it, sensor Sl.

It has a function of scanning the detection of S2, and returns to the function of instructing merging by an interrupt signal when the reception prohibition is canceled.

Since it has such a configuration and function, as shown in Figure 4-J
-, this conveyance device is driven, and the conveyor C1,
Products PI and P2 are transported on C2 and sent to end points X and Y at random timing, and sensors S1. , S2, the detection signal control unit 5 detects the sensor S.
1. Prohibits reception of the S2 detection signal. The interface control unit 6 issues a merging command if there are no products PI or P2 at position 2 of the conveyor C3 and merging is possible. Then, at the timing when which of the products Pi and P2 that have joined the conhair C3 passes the position Z, the detection of the sensors Sl and S2 is scanned to check whether the products Pi or P2 have arrived.

If they have arrived, please join them immediately, and if they have not arrived, please join them immediately.
The detection signal control unit 5 cancels the inhibition of reception of interrupt signals detected by the sensors 31 and 52 (7).

The products PI and P2 thus arrived are transferred to the sensor S1.
It is possible to control merging by scanning 32 detections.

Therefore, it is possible to reduce the CPU load factor, which is a drawback of the method of controlling merging by receiving interrupt signals detected by the sensors 31 and 32, and also reduces the merging, which is a drawback of the method of controlling merging by scanning at fixed time intervals. Efficiency can be improved.

The above example is product P1 in terms of production process. P2 to conveyor CI
, C2 and joining the conveyor C3 has been described, but it goes without saying that the same effect can be obtained by applying it to a conveyor conveying device that generally joins conveyed objects.

As described in detail of the fg1 invention, according to the present invention, it is possible to issue a merging command for merging control from a plurality of conveyors by prohibiting the CPU from receiving product detection as an interrupt signal. This method has the effect that the load factor can be reduced and the merging efficiency can be increased compared to the method of scanning sensor detection at fixed time intervals.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a plan view illustrating a conveying device to which the present invention is applied, FIG. 2 is a control block diagram of FIG. 1, FIG. 3 is a control block diagram illustrating an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 3 is a flowchart of FIG. In the figure, 1 is a main control unit, 2.6 is an interface control unit, 3 is a conveyor drive control unit, 4 is a sensor amplifier,
5 is a detection signal control unit, 01 to C3 are conveyors, Pi, P
2 represents a product, and S1 to S3 represent sensors. I glanced over at Dormitory 2, shrugging my shoulders and eyes.

Claims (1)

[Claims] A conveyor conveyance control system that performs merging control by detecting objects to be conveyed that have arrived at a confluence point of a plurality of conveyors on which the conveyed objects are respectively conveyed, by means of a detection means provided on each conveyor. means for inhibiting or canceling the output of a detection signal that detects the conveyed object, and a reading means for reading the detection output of the detecting means at the timing when the conveyed objects after merging pass the merging position, A conveyor conveyance control system characterized in that when the output of a leading spoon detection signal is prohibited, the reading means reads whether the conveyed objects have arrived at the merging point and performs the merging control.