JPS61102104A - Initial processor of article conveying system - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To prove a normal conveying operation by confirming whether a conveying carrier is disposed on a normal home position or not at an initializing time. CONSTITUTION:When convey request keys T1-T4 of process request stations WS1-WS4 are depressed, convey requests are input through controllers 3a-3d to an interface 21. A system controller 1 instructs a linear motor controller 2 to travel with the requested station as a departure station and with a process station PS as a destination station. When a system initialization is instructed after a power source is interrupted or a system is reset, the controller 2 applies conveyor carrier state grasp command to controllers 3a-3d, 4, 5. The state information from the controllers 3a-3d are stored in travel state storage area 22b.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Industrial Application Field] The present invention relates to an article conveyance system that conveys an article from a station to another station by moving a conveyance carrier on a conveyance path. The present invention relates to an initial processing method for checking whether or not is at a predetermined home position.

The wave of development of office automation systems in recent years has been remarkable, and various systems have been introduced in various fields. One such office automation system is an article conveyance system. An article conveyance system is a system in which a conveyance path is set up in an office, a large number of stations are set on the conveyance path, and a conveyance carrier is moved between stations along the conveyance path to convey documents, cash, etc. A linear motor car or the like is used as the transportation means. In such an article conveyance system, where the work of each station is determined in advance, each station is classified into a processing request station and a processing station according to the work, and there is a line between the processing request station and the processing station. The transport carrier is configured to move. For example, in a certain business office, each workplace is designated as an accounting processing requesting station, the workplace that performs accounting processing is designated as a processing station, and the slips to be processed from each workplace (i.e., accounting processing requesting station) are sent to the processing station using a transport carrier. In financial stores and retail stores, each counter or sales floor is used as a processing request station, and the cash storage area is used as a processing station. In some cases, a slip is sent to a processing station on a transport carrier, sales are processed at the processing station, a receipt etc. is issued, and this is returned to a processing request station on a transport carrier. The location is a processing station, a transport carrier is sent from the processing request station at the counter to the processing station, cash to be withdrawn is loaded onto the transport carrier at the processing station, and the transport carrier loaded with cash is returned to the processing request station. .

[Conventional technology]

FIG. 5 is a configuration diagram of such a conventional article conveyance system,
Processing request stations WSI, WS2, WS3 at each counter
, WS4 is installed, and a processing station ps is installed at the cash withdrawal location.
The example shows a centralized withdrawal cash management system with
FIG. 5(A) is a side view thereof, and FIG. 5(B) is a top view thereof.

Processing request stations WSI, WS2, WS3, WS4
A rail (conveyance path) RL is installed between the processing stay 23723 and the stator S1, which is spaced apart from the rail RL.
S2, S3, S4, -3. n, SP are provided.

The transport carriers CRI to CR4 that move on the rails RL are provided with a storage section C for storing articles, wheels W1 and W2 that engage with the rail RL, and a two-piece body. The transport carriers CR1-CR4 start due to the repulsion and attraction of the magnetic field by the stators S1-SP of the rail RL and the missing body. It consists of a linear motor car that accelerates and stops.

On the other hand, each processing request station WSI to WS4 and processing station P have the aforementioned stators S1 to S4, SP
In addition, there are article handling ports A1 to A4, P, and a transport carrier C.
Lift RI~CR4 from rail RL, and
, and raise it to article handling ports A1 to A4 and P.
In addition, the transport carriers CR1 to CR4 are lowered from the article handling ports A1 to A4 and P to the rail RL, and the transport carriers CR
Lift mechanism L1 to return I to CR4 to rail RL
L4 and LP are provided. Further, the processing station ps includes a cash dispensing machine that takes out the requested cash from the cash storage C8, sends it to the cash dispensing unit I)U, and loads the cash from the cash dispensing unit DU into the transport carrier of the article handling port P. C
D is provided.

For example, in order to issue a withdrawal request from the processing request station WS4 and have the withdrawal processed at the processing station PS, the operator at the counter first inputs the amount of cash to be withdrawn from a teller terminal (not shown) provided at the counter, and then Instruct the transport request using a key or the like.

As a result, the conveyance carrier CR4 is lowered to the rail RL by the lift mechanism L4 and returned, and the stator S4 is energized and departs toward the processing station PS.Since it is not accelerated by the stator Sn of the acceleration station on the way, the transfer carrier CR4 returns to the rail RL. and its stator SP
is stopped by reverse excitation. Then, the conveyance carrier CR4 that has arrived is lifted up to the article handling port P by the lift mechanism LP, and is located below the cash dispensing section DU of the cash dispensing machine CD. The cash dispensing machine CD deposits cash equivalent to the amount of cash withdrawn from the teller terminal mentioned above into the cash storage box C.
The cash is taken out from S to the cash dispensing unit DU, and the cash is loaded from the cash dispensing unit DU onto the transport carrier CR4. Upon completion of this loading, the transport carrier CR4 is returned to the rail RL by the lift mechanism LP, and the stator SP is energized to cause the transport carrier CR4 to depart toward the processing request station WS4. The transport carrier CR4 is not accelerated by the stator Sn of the acceleration station on the way, but reaches the processing request station WS4, is stopped by reverse excitation of the stator S4, and is moved to the rail R by the lift mechanism L4.
Goods handling port A is released from L and is in its home position.
4 Return to the bottom. The operator at the counter uses the transport carrier CR
Take out the cash loaded from 4 and give it to the customer who requested it. Such a conveyance carrier CRI-CR4 is located at the home position (lower part of article handling ports A1 to A4) of each processing request station WS1 to WS4 to which it belongs except when it is moving, and does not interfere with the movement of other carriers on the rail RL. [Problem to be solved by the invention] In such an article conveyance system, when the system is initialized, conveyance control is started assuming that each conveyance carrier CRI to CR4 is at the home position. ,
There may be cases where there is no transport carrier in the home position at the time of initialization. For example, when performing a movement test of the transport carrier in test mode, you may forget to return the transport carrier to the home position at the end of the test, or you may have made a setting mistake by not setting the transport carrier in the correct home position when replacing it. This is the case, for example, when the power of the transport carrier is cut off during transport and the transport carrier is still on the rail when the power is turned on again.

In such a case, since the transport control is started assuming that the transport carrier is at the normal home position, there is a problem in that the normal transport operation cannot be performed and the system goes down.

Means for Solving Problem C] The present invention provides an initial processing method for an article conveyance system that can confirm whether the conveyance carrier is at the proper home position at the time of initialization and ensure normal conveyance operation. .

For this reason, the first aspect of the present invention provides a transport means for transporting an article by moving a transport carrier along a transport path between processing request stations, and a transport means for transporting an article according to a transport request from the processing request station. a control unit that moves the transport carrier at the home position of the processing request station to the processing station and returns the transport carrier from the processing station to the processing request station; The present invention is characterized in that it is confirmed that the transport carrier is at the home position by reading a status signal indicating whether the transport carrier is at the home position from the request station.

A second aspect of the present invention also provides a transport means for transporting an article by moving a transport carrier along a transport path between a processing request station and a processing station; a control unit that moves the transport carrier at the home position of the requesting station to the processing station and returns the transport carrier from the processing station to the processing request station; A status signal indicating whether or not the transport carrier is at the home position is read from the request station, and it is confirmed that the transport carrier is at the home position. If the tR transport carrier is not at the home position, the transport carrier is It is characterized by controlling the movement of the camera to the home position.

Furthermore, a third aspect of the present invention provides a transport means for transporting an article by moving a transport carrier along a transport path between a processing request station and a processing station, and a transport means for transporting an article according to a transport request from the processing request station. a control unit that moves the transport carrier at the home position of the requesting station to the processing station and returns the transport carrier from the processing station to the processing request station; A status signal indicating whether or not the transport carrier is at the home position is read from the request station, and it is confirmed that the transport carrier is at the home position. If the transport carrier is in the middle of transport due to a transport request, movement of the transport carrier is controlled in accordance with the general transport request.

[Effect]

In the first aspect of the present invention, at the time of initialization, the control unit receives a status signal indicating whether or not the transport carrier is at the home position from the processing request station having the home position, and confirms that the transport carrier is at the home position. This ensures normal transport operation.

In addition to the above-mentioned first invention, a second invention of the present invention provides a cover for when the transport carrier is not at the home position.
In order to do this, the transport carrier is automatically controlled to move to the home position to ensure normal transport operation.

Furthermore, in addition to the above-mentioned first invention, the third invention of the present invention performs cover-up when the transport carrier is not at the home position, so that the reason for the transport carrier not being at the home position is a power failure before initialization, etc. If the machine goes down during transport, continue the transport before it goes down,
This ensures normal transport operation and prevents the transport before being downed from being wasted.

〔Example〕

Hereinafter, the present invention will be explained in detail with reference to Examples.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an embodiment of the present invention. In the figure, the same components as those shown in FIG. A device that determines a destination according to a transport request given through a controller, issues a travel instruction, and performs initial processing at the time of system initialization; 10 is a processor that performs destination determination processing, initial processing, etc.; 11 is a memory; , a determination area lla that stores data and programs necessary for the processing of the processor 10, and stores the name of the processing requesting station determined to send the transport carrier to the processing station PS;
2 is a near motor controller having a pattern area llb for storing a predetermined initial sensor pattern, and each processing request station WSI~ which will be described later based on the determined destination from the system controller 1. WS4, gives start, acceleration, stop commands and lift up/down commands to the control units of the acceleration station AS and processing station PS, and notifies the system controller 1 of transport requests from each control unit;
and a device that detects the position and traveling state of the transport carrier based on state information from each control unit, 20 is a processor;
21 is an interface that performs driving pattern determination and sending processing and status monitoring processing; 22 is an interface that exchanges data and commands with each control unit; 22 is a memory that stores data and programs necessary for processing by the processor 20; It has a running pattern storage area 22a and a running state storage area 22b. In the travel pattern storage area 22a, the travel modes of each station for transporting the carrier from each departure station to the destination station are stored as patterns, where "1" is the departure mode, 12" is the acceleration mode, and "12" is the acceleration mode.
3" indicates the stop mode. For example, in the case of processing request station WSI → processing station PS (WSI is the departure station and PS is the stop station), 1" (departure) is grabbed for station WSI, and WS2 to A on the way
“2” (acceleration) in the S column, 3 in the station PS column
” (stop) is stored. Also, the running state storage area 22b stores the state of the transport carrier at each station WSI to PS, and the sensor of the stator (described later) detects the transport carrier on the rail at each station. Then, when 1" is not detected, 0" is stored.TI-T4
is the transport request key, and each processing request station WSI
DLI~DL4 and DLP are lift sensors provided in ~ws4 and pressed by the operator to instruct the linear motor controller 2 to request conveyance via the control unit, and the conveyance carrier is the home of the lift mechanism L1~L4゜LP. DS1~D that shows off the position
S4, DA, and DSP are stator sensors for detecting that the transport carrier is on the stators s1 to S4, Sn, and SP, and 3a to 3d are control units provided at each processing request station WS1 to WS4. 4, which controls the lift mechanisms L1 to L4 and the stators s1 to s4 according to commands from the linear motor controller 2, detects their states with the sensors DLI to DL4, DS1 to DS4, and notifies the linear motor controller 2; 5 is a control unit, which is provided in the acceleration station AS, controls the stator Sn according to commands from the linear motor controller 2, detects its state with a sensor DA, and notifies the linear motor controller 2; 5 is a control unit; ,
It is provided in the processing station PS, controls the lift mechanism LP and stator SP in accordance with commands from the linear motor controller 2, detects its status with sensors DLP and DSP, and notifies the linear motor controller 2 of the condition. In addition, when the departure command "11" is sent from the linear motor controller 2, these control units 3a to 3d, 4.5 enter the departure mode, and the lift mechanisms L1 to L4, LP
is lowered to return the transport carrier to the rail RL, and after detecting this with the sensors DSI to DS4 and DSP, the stators S1 to S4 and sp are accelerated, the transport carrier is set to depart, and an acceleration command "2" is set. Then, the mode becomes acceleration mode, and the sensor installed at the inlet of the stator changes from DSI to
When the DS4, DA, and DSP transport carriers are detected, the stator is accelerated and the transport carrier is accelerated. When the stop command "3" is set, the stop mode is entered, and the sensors DSL to DS4 and DSP detect the transport carriers on the stator. After detecting the entry, the stator is stopped and the conveyance carrier is stopped, and then the lift mechanism is raised to raise the conveyance carrier from the rail RL to the article handling port, and each station is placed on the rail RL. Transfer carrier to DSL~DS4, DA, DSP with stator sensor
``1'' when detected, lift mechanism sensors DLI~DL
4. When the DLP detects that there is a transport carrier in the lift mechanism, it notifies the linear motor controller 2 of status data of "2".

Next, the operation of the configuration of the embodiment shown in FIG. 1 will be described first with reference to the processing flowchart shown in FIG. 2 regarding the normal transport processing operation.

(2) First, when one of the transport request keys T1 to T4 of the processing request stations WSI to WS4 is pressed, a transport request is input to the interface 21 via the control units 3a to 3d. Processor 2 of linear motor controller 2
0 notifies the system controller 1 of this transport request.

■ In response to this transfer request, the processor 10 of the system controller 1 checks the determination area tia of the memory 11, and
It is checked whether a processing request station has already been determined for the processing station SP, and if it has not been determined, it is determined that the transport process is not in progress, and if it has been determined, it is determined that the transport process is in progress, and the station is registered in the queue in the memory 11. , wait until the transport and return are completed.

If the transport process is not in progress, the processor 10 instructs the linear motor controller 2 to travel by setting the process requesting station where the transport request was made as the departure station and the processing station PS as the destination station, and
In the decision area lla of the memory 11, the name of the processing requesting station is registered in the column of the destination processing station.

■ In the linear motor controller 2, the processor 20
receives this information and determines the corresponding travel pattern. That is, the processor 20 indexes the travel pattern storage area 22a of the memory 22 based on the departure station name and the 277 destination stays, extracts the corresponding travel pattern, and sends it to each control unit 3a to 3d, 4.5 via the interface 21. Sends the corresponding driving commands (start, acceleration, stop commands) included in the driving pattern. For example, if the departure station is WSI and the destination station is PS, the first running pattern in the pattern storage area 22a is selected, the departure command "1" is sent to the control unit 3a, the acceleration command "2" is sent to the control units 3b to 3d, and 4, and the control A stop command "3" is sent to the unit 5.

(2) Each control unit 3a to 3d14.5 is set to start, acceleration, or stop mode according to a given command, and each controls the lift mechanism and stator of its own station according to this mode. For example, in the above-mentioned example, the control unit 3a of the processing request station WS1 is set to the departure mode, and the lift mechanism L1 is first lowered to transport the transport carrier C.
RI is returned to the rail RL, the control unit 3a detects this using the output of the stator sensor DSL, and then controls the acceleration (departure) of the stator S1 to move the carrier CR1 to the rail R.
At the same time, the linear motor controller 2 is notified of "1" indicating the completion of the start. Further, each processing request station WS2 to WS4 and acceleration station ASO control unit 3b to 3d, 4 on the way is set to acceleration mode, and when the transport carrier CRI enters each stator S2 to S4, Sn, sensors DS2 to DS4, The DA detects this, excites the accelerating coils of the stators S2 to S4, and Sn to accelerate the incoming conveyance carrier CRI, and sends a signal to the linear motor controller 2 indicating the end of acceleration, "1".
Notify. Furthermore, in the control unit 5 of the processing station PS, when the transport carrier CRI enters the stop mode and enters the stator SP, the stator sensor DSP detects this and excites the stop coil of the stator SP, thereby stopping the entering transport carrier. The CRI is stopped, thereby notifying the linear motor controller 2 of "1" indicating the end of the stop, and then the lift mechanism LP lifts the transport carrier C.
The RI is raised to the article takeout port P (home position), and the output of the lift sensor DLP is used to move the linear motor controller 2 to the lift home position, where the carrier is located.
That is, "2" indicating that the rail RL has been released is notified.

■ In the linear motor controller 2, the processor 20 receives the notified status information through the interface 21, stores it in the traveling status storage area 22b of the memory 22, confirms the position of the conveyance carrier, and transfers the status information from the processing station PS to the rail. When receiving "2" of RL release, it is determined that the transport is completed, and the contents of the running state storage area 22b are set to "0".
The vehicle is reset to prepare for the next run, and the system controller 1 is notified of the end of transportation.

■ This causes system controller 1 to dispense cash.
Give a cash loading (dispensing) instruction to acD (Fig. 5) and wait for completion of dispensing from cash dispensing ficD.

When the cash dispensing machine CD issues a dispensing completion message, the system controller 1 starts the return process.

That is, the processor 10 of the system controller 1 obtains the requested station name in the determination area lla of the memory 11, sets this processing requesting station as the destination station, sets the processing station PS as the departure station, and instructs the linear motor controller 2 to run.

■ On the other hand, the linear motor controller 2 receives the destination station and the departure station, and performs the above-mentioned step ■
, (2) and (2), the transport carrier is controlled to be returned from the processing station to the processing requesting station.

(2) When the system controller 1 receives the conveyance processing/return processing completion notification from the linear motor controller 2, the processor 10 erases the process requesting station name in the determination area lla of the memory 11, and ends the general transport processing.

Next, the initial processing according to the first invention and the second invention of the present invention will be explained using the processing flow diagram in FIG.

(a) When the system controller 1 is instructed from a console (not shown) to initialize the system after the power is turned off or the system is reset, the system controller 1 issues an instruction to the linear motor controller 2 to understand the state.

(bl) As a result, in the linear motor controller 2, the processor 20 sends a status sending command to each control unit 3a to 3d 14.5 via the interface 21. As a result, each control unit 3a to 3d, 4.5 Sensors DLI to DL4, DLP and stator sensor DS
Look at the outputs of L~DS4, DA, and DSP, and if there is a transport carrier detection output of lift sensors DI, 1~DL4, and DLP, it is "2", and stator sensors DSL~DS4, DA, D.
Linear motor controller 2 uses "1" as the state information if there is a conveyance carrier detection output of SP, and "0" otherwise.
send it back to In the linear motor controller 2, the processor 20 receives this via the interface 21 and stores it in the running state storage area 22b of the memory 22.

The processor 20 receives status information from all the control units 3a to 3d and 45, and stores the status information in the running status storage area 22 of the memory 22.
When stored in b, a status grasp completion notification is given to the system controller 1.

fc) The system controller l is the processor 10
reads the contents of the running state storage area 22b of the memory 22 and compares it with the contents of the pattern area Ilb of the memory 11. The pattern area llb stores in advance a sensor (state) pattern when the transport carrier is at the regular home position at the initial time, for example, when the processing request stations WSI to WS4 are at the home position.

The normal status pattern is 222200 in order from WSI to PSO
''. That is, this is a case where "2" is issued from the control units 3a to 3d and "01" is issued from the other control units 4.5.

Based on this comparison, when the stations WSI to WS4 at home positions are all "2" indicating that transport carriers are present, the prosensor 10 determines that transport carriers are present at all home positions.

(d) When determining that there are transport carriers at all home positions, the processor 10 next checks the status signals of the stations AS and PS that do not have home positions in order to detect whether there are transport carriers outside the home positions.
If it is "0", it is determined that there is no transport carrier outside the home position, and the check ends. On the other hand, if it is "1", it is determined that there is a transport carrier outside the home position, and an error is processed.In this case, there are transport carriers at all home positions, so an extra transport carrier is provided, as shown in the figure. “Number of carriers error (too many)” is displayed on the console.

(e) On the other hand, if it is determined in step (C) that there is no transport carrier at any home position, the processor 10 detects whether there is a transport carrier outside the home position, as in step (d). Check the status signals of stations AS and PS without positions,
If it is '0', it is determined that there is no transport carrier outside the home position, and an error is processed. In this case, there is a shortage of transport carriers, and a "Number of carriers error (insufficient)" is displayed on the console (not shown). indicate.

(f) Conversely, if either of the status signals of stations AS or PS is 11'' or 2'', it is determined that there is a carrier outside the home position, and the carrier is returned to the home position. That is, the processor 1O sets the processing requesting station for which there is no transport carrier at the home position in step te+ as the destination station, sets the acceleration or processing station where the carrier outside the home position is detected as the starting station, and sets the linear motor controller 2 Give driving instructions to. The linear motor controller 2 executes the above-mentioned steps ①, ②, and ② to move the carrier to the destination station, and notifies the system controller 1 of the movement. This causes the processor 10 to return to step (al) again.

In this way, in the first aspect of the present invention, in the initial process, it is detected whether the transport carrier is at the regular home position or not, and then the normal transport process is performed. It will not be impossible,
Transportation processing can be guaranteed. Further, in the second aspect of the present invention, when it is determined in the initial processing that there is no transport carrier at the home position, the recovery is performed,
The transport carrier is returned to its home position to ensure subsequent transport processing.

Next, the third invention of the present invention will be explained using the process flow diagram of FIG.

(gl Previous steps (81, (b), (C), (
Execute d) and (e).

(hl Next, in step fe), if it is determined that there is a carrier outside the home position, the processor 10
checks the contents of the determination area lla of the memory 11, and if the requesting station name remains in the determination area tia, it is determined that the station is being transported, and if it is not, it is determined that the requesting station is not being transported.

(11 If it is determined that the conveyance is not in progress, the above-mentioned step <
Similarly to n, the transport carrier outside the home position is returned to the home position.

If it is determined that the transport process is in the middle of 01 illll, the transport process is restarted. Therefore, the processor 10 inquires of the linear motor controller 2 whether the conveyance is interrupted during the conveyance process or the return process, and if the conveyance process is in progress, the linear motor controller 2 sets the station where the conveyance carrier was detected as the departure station and the processing station as the destination station. Give driving instructions to controller 2 and follow the steps ■, ■, ■
, ■, ■, ■ to return the transport carrier to its home position. Conversely, if the return process is in progress, the station where the transport carrier was detected is the departure station,
The linear motor controller 2 sets the processing request station in the determination area lla of the memory 11 as the destination station.
A travel instruction is given to the carrier, the above-mentioned steps (2) and (3) are executed, the carrier is returned to the home position, and the initial processing is completed.

In the above embodiment, a linear motor car is used as the conveying means, but other known conveying means may be used.
Further, although the system controller 1 and the linear motor controller 2 have been described as having separate configurations, they may be integrated, and the functions may be realized by a single processor. Furthermore, there may be a plurality of processing stations, and the application is not limited to conveying cash.

Although the present invention has been described above using examples, the present invention can be modified in various ways according to the gist of the present invention, and these are not excluded from the present invention.

〔Effect of the invention〕

As explained above, according to the first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a transport means for transporting an article by moving a transport carrier along a transport path between a processing request station and a processing station; a control unit that moves the transport carrier at the home position of the processing request station to the processing station in accordance with a transport request from the processing station, and returns the transport carrier from the processing station to the processing request station; The control unit is characterized in that it continuously outputs a status signal indicating whether or not the transport carrier is at the home position from the processing request station, and confirms that the transport carrier is at the home position. This has the effect that the subsequent conveyance operation can be guaranteed at the initial time before starting the conveyance process, and there is no possibility that the conveyance operation will become impossible during the conveyance operation. Therefore, even if the transport carrier is not set to the home position by mistake during test mode or carrier exchange processing, this can be detected and prevent the transport from becoming disabled and causing a system run-down, reducing the maintenance worker's effort. It also has the effect of being

Further, in the second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a transport means for transporting the article by moving a transport carrier along a transport path between the processing request station and the processing station, and a transport means for transporting the article according to a transport request from the processing request station. a control unit that moves the transport carrier at the home position of the requesting station to the processing station and returns the transport carrier from the processing station to the processing request station; A status signal indicating whether or not the transport carrier is at the home position is read from the request station, and it is confirmed that the transport carrier is at the home position.If the transport carrier is not at the home position, the transport carrier is Since the present invention is characterized by controlling the movement of the device to the home position, in addition to the effects of the first invention described above,
This also has the effect that the glue cover is automatically executed when the machine is not at the home position, thereby ensuring a more normal conveyance operation.

Further, in a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a transport means for transporting the article by moving a transport carrier along a transport path between the processing request station and the processing station; a control unit that moves the transport carrier at the home position of the requesting station to the processing station and returns the transport carrier from the processing station to the processing request station; A status signal indicating whether or not the transport carrier is at the home position is read from the request station, and it is confirmed that the transport carrier is at the home position. If the transport is in progress, the transport carrier is moved according to the transport request, so in addition to the first invention described above, the transport process before system initialization is restarted, and the transport process before system initialization is restarted. Since it returns to the position, recovery is automatically performed, which not only ensures a more normal conveying operation, but also prevents the previous conveying process from being wasted.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

Fig. 1 is a block diagram of an embodiment of the present invention, Fig. 2 is a conveyance processing flow diagram in the configuration of the embodiment shown in Fig. 1, and Fig. 3 is an initial diagram of an embodiment of the first invention and the second invention of the present invention. FIG. 4 is an initial processing flow diagram of an embodiment of the third aspect of the present invention, and FIG. 5 is a configuration diagram of a conventional article conveyance system. In the figure, WSI to WS4...-processing request station, P
S--Processing station, 1--System controller (control unit), 2-Linear motor controller (control unit), RL-Rail (transport path), CRI~CR4--
transport carrier.

Claims (3)

[Claims] (1) A conveying means for conveying an article by moving a conveyance carrier along a conveyance path between a processing requesting station and an article at a home position of the processing requesting station in accordance with a conveyance request from the processing requesting station. moving the transport carrier to the processing station;
and a control section for returning the transport carrier from the processing station to the processing request station, and at an initial time, the control section receives a status signal from the processing request station indicating whether or not the transport carrier is at the home position. 1. An initial processing method for an article conveyance system, characterized by reading and confirming that the conveyance carrier is at the home position. (2) A conveyance means for conveying articles by moving a conveyance carrier along a conveyance path between a processing requesting station and an article at a home position of the processing requesting station in accordance with a conveyance request from the processing requesting station. moving the transport carrier to the processing station;
and a control section for returning the transport carrier from the processing station to the processing request station, and at an initial time, the control section receives a status signal from the processing request station indicating whether or not the transport carrier is at the home position. Initial of an article conveyance system characterized in that the conveyance carrier is read and confirmed that the conveyance carrier is at the home position, and if the conveyance carrier is not at the home position, the conveyance carrier is controlled to move to the home position. Processing method. (3) A conveyance means for conveying articles by moving a conveyance carrier along a conveyance path between a processing requesting station and an article at a home position of the processing requesting station in accordance with a conveyance request from the processing requesting station. moving the transport carrier to the processing station;
and a control section for returning the transport carrier from the processing station to the processing request station, and at an initial time, the control section receives a status signal from the processing request station indicating whether or not the transport carrier is at the home position. Read and confirm that the transport carrier is at the home position, and if the transport carrier is not at the home position and the transport carrier is in the middle of transport according to the transport request, the transport carrier is moved according to the transport request. An initial processing method for an article conveyance system characterized by movement control.