TW202235342A - Object conveying apparatus comprising a conveyance cart traveling between load receiving tables arranged along a travel route to convey a box - Google Patents

Abstract

An object conveying apparatus 10 according to the present invention comprises: a conveyance cart 25, which conveys a box 90; multiple load receiving tables 12, 13, 14, 15, which are arranged on a travel route 11 to temporarily hold the box 90 conveyed by the conveyance cart 25; and a ground-side controller 22, which controls the travel of the conveyance cart 25. In the object conveying apparatus 10, the conveyance cart 25 travels between the load receiving table 12 and the load receiving table 15 to convey the box 90. The ground-side controller 22 controls the conveying instruction and a traveling speed of the conveyance cart 25 that is traveling toward the second load receiving table 13 according to the loading situation of the third load receiving table 14 and the fourth load receiving table 15 which are located on the downstream side of the second load receiving table 13 with respect to the travel direction of the conveyance cart 25.

Description

Item Handling Equipment

The present invention relates to an article conveying device, which includes: a conveying trolley for conveying articles; a plurality of article support parts arranged on the conveying path of the article, and temporarily storing all objects conveyed by the conveying trolley. the article; and a trolley control unit that controls travel of the transport trolley, and transports the article by the transport trolley traveling between specific article support units.

Conventionally, as such an article conveying device, there is one shown in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2009-202806. Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2009-202806 discloses two parallel running rails arranged in an L-shape on the inner side and the outer side respectively, so that two rail trolleys (transporting trolleys) travel back and forth along the running rails. The two trolleys convey the articles between the receiving stands (article supporting parts) installed near both ends of the L-shaped running track and the receiving stands installed near the corners of the L-shaped running track. The receiving platforms installed near both ends of the L-shaped running rail are used as workstations between stacker cranes, other rail trolleys, unmanned guided vehicles, etc. In the article conveying equipment of Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2009-202806, a rail trolley conveys an article temporarily placed on a receiving platform near one end of an L-shaped running track to a side of the L-shaped running track. The receiving platform near the corner is temporarily placed. Then, another trolley transports the articles temporarily placed on the receiving platform near the corner to the receiving platform provided near the other end of the L-shaped running rail, and places them temporarily.

[Problem to be Solved by the Invention]

However, in the conventional article conveying equipment such as the article conveying equipment of Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2009-202806, the trolley control unit that controls the travel of the transport trolley determines whether the temporary placement of the article to the article support unit of the predetermined temporary storage article is unavailable. When there is an obstacle (for example, if the article is not temporarily placed in the article support section where the article is temporarily placed, and another transport trolley does not stop at the article support section, etc.), it is not considered that the article is located on the downstream side of the article support section. The transport trolley is driven according to the inventory status of the downstream side article support section. Therefore, even if the article is temporarily placed in the downstream article support section, etc., the subsequent article cannot be temporarily placed in the downstream article support section (it takes time before the subsequent article is conveyed to the downstream article support section). case), the trolley control unit also controls the travel of the transport trolley by the same control as in the case where the article is not temporarily placed on the downstream side article support unit. For this reason, there is a problem that the conveyance cart runs in vain, and the electric power consumption of the conveyance cart is excessive.

The present invention solves the above-mentioned problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide an article conveyance facility capable of limiting wasteful travel of a conveyance vehicle and suppressing power consumption of a conveyance trolley. [Means to solve the problem]

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the article conveying equipment of the present invention includes: a conveying trolley for conveying articles; a plurality of article support parts provided on the conveying path of the article, and temporarily storing the articles conveyed by the conveying trolley; and a trolley control unit that controls travel of the transport trolley and transports the article by the transport trolley traveling between specific article support units, the trolley control unit according to the travel of the transport trolley The inventory status of the downstream side article support unit located on the downstream side of the specific article support unit in the direction controls the transport instruction and travel speed of the transport trolley traveling toward the specific article support unit. In the above configuration, the transport instruction and travel speed of the transport trolley are controlled based on the inventory status of a downstream article support unit located downstream of a specific article support unit with respect to the traveling direction of the transport trolley.

In the article conveyance facility according to the present invention, the trolley control unit temporarily places the article when the conveyance trolley travels toward the downstream side of the conveyance path of the article toward the article support portion on which the article is to be temporarily placed. In a case where the article support section on the downstream side is located on the downstream side of the article support section where the article is scheduled to be temporarily stored, the traveling of the transport trolley is set to a low-speed mode. Here, the low-speed mode refers to a mode in which the transport trolley travels at a slower travel speed than the normal travel speed (travel speed during normal transfer, hereinafter referred to as normal speed) when the transport trolley travels to the article support section for the scheduled temporary articles. (The same applies to the description below). In the above configuration, when the article is temporarily placed in the downstream article support section located downstream of the article support section where the temporary article is scheduled to be temporarily stored, the transport cart travels in the low speed mode.

The article conveying equipment of the present invention includes a first transfer device, and the first transfer device transfers articles between the downstream article support part according to a specific transfer instruction, and the trolley control part according to the The inventory status of the downstream article support unit and the presence or absence of the transfer instruction to the first transfer device control the transfer instruction and travel speed of the transfer trolley. In the above configuration, the transfer instruction and travel speed of the transfer trolley are controlled based on the inventory status and presence or absence of the downstream article support unit to the first transfer device.

In the article transfer facility of the present invention, the trolley control unit temporarily places the article on the downstream article support unit, and the first transfer device does not transfer from the downstream article support unit. When the conveyance instruction of the article is instructed, the traveling of the conveyance trolley is set to a low-speed mode. In the above configuration, when the article is temporarily placed on the downstream article support unit and the first transfer device does not execute a transfer instruction to transfer the article from the downstream article support unit, the transfer trolley travels in a low-speed mode. .

In the article transport facility of the present invention, the trolley control unit sets the traveling of the transport trolley to a low-speed mode when the first transfer device cannot execute the transport instruction. In the above configuration, when the first transfer device cannot execute the transfer instruction, the transfer trolley travels in the low-speed mode.

In the article conveyance facility of the present invention, the trolley control unit does not temporarily store the article when the conveyance trolley travels toward the upstream side of the conveyance path of the article toward the article support unit that is scheduled to receive the article. When the upstream side article support unit is located on the upstream side of the article support unit that is scheduled to receive the article, the travel of the transport trolley is set to a low speed mode. In the above configuration, when the transport trolley travels toward the article support section where the article is scheduled to be received, the article is not temporarily placed in the upstream side article support section that is located on the upstream side of the article support section that is scheduled to receive the article , the transfer trolley runs at low speed.

In the article conveying equipment of the present invention, a second transfer device is included, and the second transfer device makes the transfer trolley carry out the described transfer between the article support part that is scheduled to receive the article according to a specific transfer instruction. For the transfer of articles, the trolley control unit does not temporarily place the articles on the article support unit, and the second transfer device does not perform the transfer of the article to the article support unit. In the case of an instruction, the travel of the transport trolley is set to a low-speed mode. In the above configuration, when the article is not temporarily placed on the article support unit and the second transfer device does not issue a transfer instruction to transfer the article to the article support unit, the transfer trolley travels in the low speed mode.

In the article transport facility of the present invention, the trolley control unit sets the travel of the transport trolley to a low speed mode when there is no transport instruction to the second transfer device. In the above configuration, when there is no transfer instruction to the second transfer device, the transfer cart travels in the low-speed mode. [Effect of the invention]

According to the article conveyance facility of the present invention, since the conveyance instruction and travel speed for the conveyance trolley traveling toward the specific article support part are located on the downstream side of the specific article support part according to the traveling direction with respect to the conveyance trolley Since the inventory status of the article support section is controlled, wasteful running of the transport trolley can be suppressed. Therefore, there is no excessive power consumption of the transport vehicle. Therefore, it is possible to promote energy saving and life extension of the transport truck. In addition, in equipment requiring cleanliness, by controlling the transport instruction and travel speed of the transport trolley, it is possible to reduce the blowing of particles, etc. caused by the transport trolley. Therefore, airflow improvement (particle countermeasures) can be effectively performed.

First, the article conveyance facility 10 of the present invention will be described.

The article conveyance device 10 is installed between storage racks 91 and 92 for storing a case 90 (an example of an “article”) for storing liquid crystal panels in a liquid crystal panel manufacturing factory, for example. In the article transport facility 10 , the cassette 90 is transported from the first storage rack 91 (post-transport system) to the second storage rack 92 (transport destination system).

As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3 , in the article conveyance facility 10, a linear travel path 11 (an example of a “transport path”) for traveling using a conveyance trolley 25 for conveying a cassette 90 is provided on a storage rack 91, There are 92 storage racks. A first storage rack 91 is provided at one end portion 11 a of the travel path 11 (the conveyance start portion of the cassette 90 ). The second storage rack 92 is provided at the other end portion 11 b of the traveling path 11 (the conveyance end portion of the cassette 90 ). A plurality of storage units 93 and 94 for storing the cassette 90 are provided on the storage rack 91 and the storage rack 92 where the article transfer facility 10 is installed.

At one end 11a of the travel path 11, there is provided a first receiving platform 12 (an example of an "article support part" and an "upstream side article support part") for transferring the cassette 90 between the transport trolley 25, and a The first stacker crane 23 (an example of the “second transfer device”) that transfers the cassette 90 between the first storage units 93 of the first storage rack 91 and the first receiving dock 12 is used. At the other end 11b of the travel path 11, a fourth receiving platform 15 (an example of an "article support part" and a "downstream side article support part") for transferring the cassette 90 to and from the transport cart 25 is provided, and The second stacking crane 24 (an example of “first transfer device”) for transferring the cassette 90 between each second storage unit 94 of the second storage rack 92 and the fourth receiving dock 15 .

The receiving dock 12 and the receiving dock 15 include four supporting parts 16 supporting the four corners of the bottom of the box 90 . The receiving platform 12 and the receiving platform 15 support the box 90 from below by four supporting parts 16 . The support portion 16 is formed at a height at which the loaded cassette 90 does not come into contact with the transport cart 25 passing below. In addition, the four supporting parts 16 are respectively disposed at positions where the loaded cassette 90 does not come into contact with the transport cart 25 passing below. The first cassette 90 carried out from the first storage unit 93 by the stacker crane 23 is placed on the first receiving platform 12 . The cassette 90 carried in by the 2nd stacker crane 24 to the 2nd storage part 94 is placed on the 4th receiving dock 15. As shown in FIG. The inventory sensor 17 and the inventory sensor 20 which detect the stock status of the box 90 in the delivery counter 12 and the delivery counter 15 are provided in the delivery counter 12 and the delivery counter 15. As shown in FIG. 4 , the inventory sensor 17 and the inventory sensor 20 are connected to an overall controller 21 and an above-ground controller 22 that control the entire article conveyance facility 10 . The inventory sensor 17 and the inventory sensor 20 send detection signals to the general controller 21 and the ground side controller 22 .

As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3 , a receiving platform 13 and a receiving platform 14 ("item support part", "upstream side item support") for temporarily storing the boxes 90 transported by the transport trolley 25 are provided at specific positions on the travel route 11. Department" is an example of "Downstream Goods Support Department"). The goods receiving platform 13, the goods receiving platform 14 are the same as the goods receiving platform 12, the goods receiving platform 15, and comprise four supporting parts 16. The cassette 90 conveyed from the 1st storage shelf 91 to the 2nd storage shelf 92 by the conveyance cart 25 is temporarily placed on the receiving stand 13 and the receiving stand 14. As shown in FIG. The inventory sensor 18 and the inventory sensor 19 which detect the inventory status of the box 90 in the delivery counter 13 and the delivery counter 14 are provided in the delivery counter 13 and the delivery counter 14 . As shown in FIG. 4 , the inventory sensor 18 and the inventory sensor 19 are connected to the general controller 21 and the ground-side controller 22 . The inventory sensor 18 and the inventory sensor 19 send detection signals to the general controller 21 and the ground side controller 22 .

As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3 , the first stacking crane 23 transfers the cassettes 90 stored in the respective first storage units 93 of the first storage rack 91 to the first receiving platform 12 . As shown in FIG. 4 , the first stacking crane 23 is connected to the overall controller 21 . The first stacker crane 23 unloads the cassette 90 from the specific first storage unit 93 and transfers it to the first receiving dock 12 in accordance with a transfer instruction from the general controller 21 . That is, the first stacking crane 23 is a transfer device that requires a transfer instruction from a higher-level controller (general controller 21 ). As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3 , the second stacking crane 24 transfers the cassette 90 placed on the fourth receiving dock 15 to each second storage unit 94 of the second storage rack 92 . As shown in FIG. 4 , the second stacking crane 24 is connected to the general controller 21 . The second stacker crane 24 carries the cassette 90 placed on the fourth receiving dock 15 into the specific second storage unit 94 in accordance with the transfer instruction from the overall controller 21 . That is, the second stacker crane 24 is a transfer device that requires a transfer instruction from a higher-level controller (general controller 21 ).

As shown in FIG. 1 , the conveyance trolley 25 for conveying the cassette 90 includes a vehicle body 25b having front and rear wheels 25a, and an elevator 25c provided on the vehicle body 25b to support the cassette 90 in a movable manner. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 , the transport trolley 25 travels back and forth between the first receiving platform 12 and the fourth receiving platform 15 along the traveling track 27 laid on the traveling path 11 . The transport cart 25 continuously transports the cassettes 90 from the first receiving bay 12 to the fourth receiving bay 15 . Alternatively, the transport trolley 25 transports the cassette 90 while temporarily placing the cassette 90 on each receiving bay (the receiving bay 13 , the receiving bay 14 ) between the first receiving dock 12 and the fourth receiving dock 15 . In addition, the transport trolley 25 temporarily places the box 90 at any one of the second receiving bay 13 to the fourth receiving bay 15 and then temporarily places it on the first receiving bay 12 to the third receiving bay 14. The box 90 of any receiving platform, and from the fourth receiving platform 15 to the first receiving platform 12 continuous travel, or through each receiving platform between the first receiving platform 12 and the fourth receiving platform 15 (receiving platform 13, receiving platform 14) and travel. The transport trolley 25 unloads (temporarily places) and loads (receives) the cassettes 90 on the receiving stand 12 , receiving stand 13 , receiving stand 14 , and receiving stand 15 by moving the elevator 25 c up and down. The transfer cart 25 is configured to be able to pass between the four support portions 16 of the receiving dock 12 , the receiving dock 13 , the receiving dock 14 , and the receiving dock 15 . That is, when the transport trolley 25 transports the cassette 90 , it travels while the lifter 25 c is raised so as to avoid contact between the cassette 90 and the support portion 16 . Moreover, when the conveyance trolley 25 travels without conveying the cassette 90, it travels in the state which lowered the lifter 25c so that the vehicle body 25b may not come into contact with the support part 16. As shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 4 , the transportation vehicle 25 is controlled by a ground-side controller 22 (an example of a “cartridge control unit”) provided on the ground side and a body-side controller 26 provided on the transportation vehicle 25 to control operations such as running. The ground controller 22 is connected to the general controller 21 . The ground-side controller 22 controls the travel of the transport cart 25 in accordance with an instruction from the overall controller 21 to instruct transport of the cassette 90 . The ground-side controller 22 exchanges signals with the vehicle body-side controller 26 by optical transmission, thereby performing travel control of the transport trolley 25 and transport instructions of the cassette 90 . The vehicle body side controller 26 is mounted on the transport cart 25 . The vehicle body side controller 26 drives the transport cart 25 in accordance with an instruction from the ground side controller 22 to transport the cassette 90 .

Next, the travel control of the transport vehicle 25 will be described. First, as shown in FIG. 2 , the travel control of the transport trolley 25 when the transport trolley 25 receives the cassette 90 placed on the first receiving dock 12 and transports it to the second receiving dock 13 will be described. As shown in FIG. 5 , the ground-side controller 22 determines whether or not the cassette 90 is placed on the third receiving dock 14 ( S1 ). Specifically, the ground side controller 22 detects whether there is a signal from the third inventory sensor 19 . When the ground side controller 22 determines that the cassette 90 is placed on the third delivery platform 14 ( S1 -YES), it then determines whether or not the cassette 90 is placed on the fourth delivery platform 15 ( S2 ). Specifically, the ground side controller 22 detects whether there is a signal from the fourth inventory sensor 20 . When the ground side controller 22 determines that the cassette 90 is placed on the fourth receiving platform 15 (S2-YES), it instructs the vehicle body side controller 26 to travel at a reduced speed, so that the transport trolley 25 travels in a low speed mode (S3). That is, when the cassette 90 is placed on the third receiving dock 14 and the fourth receiving dock 15 , the ground side controller 22 drives the transport trolley 25 at a reduced speed compared to the normal speed. On the other hand, if the controller 22 on the ground side determines that the cassette 90 is not placed on the third delivery platform 14 (S1-No) or that the cassette 90 is not placed on the fourth delivery platform 15 (S2-No), Then, the vehicle body side controller 26 is instructed to travel, so that the transport trolley 25 travels at a normal speed ( S4 ). When the transport trolley 25 arrives at the second receiving dock 13 , the ground side controller 22 instructs the vehicle body side controller 26 to transport the cassette 90 toward the second receiving dock 13 ( S5 ). As described above, the controller 22 on the ground side controls the inventory status of the third receiving dock 14 and the fourth receiving dock 15 located on the downstream side of the second receiving dock 13 with respect to the traveling direction of the transport trolley 25. The transport instruction and travel speed of the transport cart 25 traveling in the downstream direction of the transport path of the cassette 90 toward the second delivery platform 13 where the temporary cassette 90 is scheduled to be stored.

Next, the travel control of the transport trolley 25 in the case where the transport trolley 25 receives the cassette 90 placed on the second receiving dock 13 and transports it to the third receiving dock 14 will be described. As shown in FIG. 6 , the ground-side controller 22 determines whether or not the cassette 90 is placed on the fourth receiving dock 15 ( S11 ). If the controller 22 on the ground side determines that there is no box 90 placed on the fourth cargo receiving platform 15 (S11-No), it then determines whether the second storage part 94 (port) of the second storage rack 92 is in a usable state. (S12). That is, the controller 22 on the ground side checks whether the second stacker crane 24 is unable to perform the first transfer from the fourth receiving platform 15 to the second storage rack 92 due to an error or an inspection of the second stacker crane 24 itself. The state (disabled state) of the transport instruction of the cassette 90 in the second storage unit 94 is judged. If the controller 22 on the ground side judges that the second storage unit 94 (port) of the second storage rack 92 is in a usable state (S12-Yes), it instructs the controller 26 on the vehicle body side to travel, so that the transport trolley 25 travels at a normal speed. (S13). On the other hand, if the controller 22 on the ground side judges that the box 90 is placed on the fourth cargo receiving platform 15 (S11-Yes), then whether to execute the second stacker crane 24 whether to carry out the process from the fourth cargo receiving platform 15 to the fourth cargo receiving platform 15 The transport instruction of the cassette 90 in the second storage unit 94 of the second storage rack 92 is judged ( S14 ). When the ground side controller 22 determines that the second stacker crane 24 executes the transfer instruction (S14-Yes), it instructs the vehicle body side controller 26 to travel at a normal speed (S15). That is, when the second stacking crane 24 is about to perform the transfer of the cassette 90 from the fourth receiving dock 15 to the second storage unit 94 of the second storage rack 92, the ground side controller 22 causes the transfer trolley 25 Drive at normal speed. On the other hand, if the controller 22 on the ground side determines that the second storage unit 94 (port) of the second storage rack 92 is not in the usable state (S12-No) or determines that the second stacking crane 24 is not performing the transfer Instruction (S14-No), the vehicle body side controller 26 is instructed to travel at a reduced speed, so that the transport trolley 25 travels in the low-speed mode (S16). That is, the second stacking crane 24 does not perform the transfer of the cassette 90 from the fourth receiving platform 15 to the second storage part 94 of the second storage rack 92 at all, and stops or performs other transfers to the second storage part 94. In the case of transferring the cassette 90, the controller 22 on the ground side causes the transport trolley 25 to run at a reduced speed compared to the normal speed. When the transport trolley 25 arrives at the third receiving dock 14 , the ground side controller 22 instructs the vehicle body side controller 26 to transport the cassette 90 to the third receiving dock 14 ( S17 ). As described above, the ground side controller 22 controls the transfer instruction and travel speed of the transfer trolley 25 based on the inventory status of the fourth receiving dock 15 and the presence or absence of the transfer instruction to the second stacker crane 24 . That is, when the controller 22 on the ground side temporarily places the cassette 90 on the fourth receiving dock 15 and the second stacking crane 24 does not execute the transport instruction to transfer the cassette 90 from the fourth receiving dock 15 or the second stack When the high crane 24 cannot execute the transfer instruction (when the second storage unit 94 (port) of the second storage rack 92 is not available), the transfer trolley 25 is decelerated from the normal speed.

Then, the transport trolley 25 returns to the first receiving dock 12 or The running control of the transport trolley 25 in the case of the second receiving dock 13 will be described. As shown in FIG. 7 , the ground-side controller 22 determines whether or not the cassette 90 is placed on the second receiving dock 13 ( S21 ). Specifically, the ground side controller 22 detects whether there is a signal from the second inventory sensor 18 . If the ground-side controller 22 determines that the cassette 90 is not placed on the second delivery platform 13 ( S21 —No), it then determines whether or not the first delivery platform 12 has the cassette 90 placed thereon ( S22 ). Specifically, the ground side controller 22 detects whether there is a signal from the first inventory sensor 17 . When the ground side controller 22 determines that no cassette 90 is placed on the first receiving dock 12 (S22-No), it instructs the vehicle body side controller 26 to travel at a reduced speed, and drives the transport trolley 25 in a low speed mode (S23). That is, when no cassette 90 is placed on the first receiving dock 12 and the second receiving dock 13 , the ground side controller 22 drives the transport cart 25 at a reduced speed compared to the normal speed. Furthermore, when the transport vehicle 25 arrives at the first receiving dock 12 , the ground side controller 22 instructs the vehicle body side controller 26 to receive the cassette 90 (loading) at the first receiving dock 12 ( S24 ). On the other hand, if the controller 22 on the ground side determines that the cassette 90 is placed on the second receiving platform 13 (S21-Yes), it instructs the controller 26 on the vehicle body side to travel, so that the transport trolley 25 travels at a normal speed (S25 ). Furthermore, when the transport vehicle 25 arrives at the second receiving dock 13 , the ground side controller 22 instructs the vehicle body side controller 26 to receive the cassette 90 of the second receiving dock 13 ( S26 ). On the other hand, if the controller 22 on the ground side determines that no box 90 is placed on the second receiving platform 13 (S21-No), then it determines that the box 90 is placed on the first receiving platform 12 (S22-Yes). ), instructs the vehicle body side controller 26 to travel at a normal speed ( S27 ). Furthermore, when the transport vehicle 25 arrives at the first receiving dock 12 , the ground side controller 22 instructs the vehicle body side controller 26 to receive the cassette 90 of the first receiving dock 12 ( S24 ). As described above, when the transport trolley 25 travels toward the upstream side of the conveyance path of the cassette 90 toward the second receiving platform 13 that is scheduled to receive the cassette 90 , the controller 22 on the ground side does not temporarily place the cassette 90 at a lower position. When the second delivery platform 13 of the scheduled receiving box 90 is closer to the first delivery platform 12 on the upstream side, the transport cart 25 is driven at a reduced speed than normal.

Next, as shown in FIG. 3 , when the transport cart 25 returns to the first receiving platform 12 in order to unload (carry) the box 90 to the second receiving platform 13 and receive the box 90 from the first receiving platform 12 The running control of the transport trolley 25 will be described. As shown in FIG. 8 , the ground-side controller 22 determines whether or not the cassette 90 is placed on the first receiving dock 12 ( S31 ). If the controller 22 on the ground side determines that no box 90 is placed on the first cargo receiving platform 12 (S31-No), then the first storage unit 93 from the first storage rack 91 is executed for the first stacker crane 23. The instruction to convey the cassette 90 to the first receiving dock 12 is judged ( S32 ). When the ground side controller 22 determines that the first stacker crane 23 executes the transfer instruction (S32-Yes), it instructs the vehicle body side controller 26 to travel at a normal speed (S33). That is, when the first stacking crane 23 is about to transfer the cassette 90 from the first storage unit 93 of the first storage rack 91 to the first receiving bay 12, the ground side controller 22 causes the transfer cart 25 Drive at normal speed. On the other hand, if it is judged that the second stacker crane 24 has not executed the transfer instruction (S32-No), it instructs the vehicle body side controller 26 to travel at a reduced speed, so that the transfer trolley 25 travels in a low-speed mode (S34). That is, when the first stacking crane 23 has received the transfer instruction, the transfer from the first storage unit 93 of the first storage rack 91 to the cassette 90 of the first receiving dock 12 is not performed at all and the transfer is stopped. Or when the first stacker crane 23 originally stopped without the above-mentioned transport instruction, the ground-side controller 22 decelerates the transport trolley 25 from the normal speed. On the other hand, if the controller 22 on the ground side determines that the cassette 90 is placed on the first receiving dock 12 (S31-Yes), it instructs the controller 26 on the vehicle body side to travel, so that the transport trolley 25 travels at a normal speed. (S33). As described above, the ground side controller 22 controls the conveyance instruction and travel speed of the conveyance trolley 25 based on the presence or absence of the inventory status of the first receiving dock 12 and the conveyance instruction of the first stacker crane 23 . That is, when the controller 22 on the ground side does not temporarily place the box 90 on the first receiving platform 12 and the first stacker crane 23 does not execute the transport instruction to move the box 90 to the first receiving platform 12, or When there is no such conveyance instruction to the first stacker crane 23, the conveyance trolley 25 is driven at a reduced speed compared to the normal speed.

As described above, according to the article conveying equipment 10, since the conveying instruction and the traveling speed for the conveying trolley 25 traveling toward the second receiving platform 13 are located at a lower position than the second receiving platform 13 according to the traveling direction relative to the conveying trolley 25 Since the inventory conditions of the third receiving dock 14 and the fourth receiving dock 15 on the further downstream side are controlled, wasteful running of the transport cart 25 can be suppressed. Therefore, the transfer vehicle 25 does not consume excessive power. Therefore, it is possible to promote energy saving and a longer life of the transport cart 25 . In addition, in equipment requiring cleanliness, by controlling the conveyance instruction and travel speed for the conveyance cart 25, it is possible to reduce the blowing of particles and the like caused by the conveyance cart 25. Therefore, airflow improvement (particle countermeasures) can be effectively performed.

In addition, in this embodiment, the article conveyed by the conveyance trolley 25 is set as the box 90, but it is not limited to this, and what is necessary is just an article which can be conveyed by the conveyance trolley 25. In the present embodiment, four delivery platforms 12, 13, 14, and 15 are provided in the article transport facility 10, but the present invention is not limited thereto, as long as a plurality of delivery platforms capable of transporting the box 90 by the transport trolley 25 are provided, it is also acceptable. 3 or more than 5 receiving stations can be set up. In the present embodiment, the traveling path 11 of the transport cart 25 is formed in a straight line, but it is not limited thereto, and may be a traveling path including a curved path or a path including a merged or branched path. In this embodiment, the first transfer device is set as the second stacking crane 24, but it is not limited to this, as long as it can transfer the box 90 between the fourth receiving platform 15 according to a specific transfer instruction. As for the transferring device for transferring, the first transferring device may also be constituted by, for example, an unmanned transfer robot, an unmanned transfer vehicle, or the like. Similarly, the second transfer device is set as the first stacking crane 23, but as long as it is a transfer device that can transfer the box 90 between the first receiving platform 12 according to a specific transfer instruction, then The second transfer device may also be constituted by, for example, an unmanned transfer robot, an unmanned transfer vehicle, or the like. In the present embodiment, one transport trolley 25 travels on the travel path 11, but it is not limited thereto, and may be configured so that two or more transport trolleys travel.

10: Item handling equipment 11: Driving path (transportation path) 11a: end 11b: the other end 12: The first receiving station (item support department, upstream side article support department) 13: The second receiving station (item support department, upstream side article support department) 14: The third receiving platform (item support department, downstream side article support department) 15: The fourth receiving station (item support department, downstream side article support department) 16: Supporting part 17: First inventory sensor 18:Second Inventory Sensor 19: Third inventory sensor 20: Fourth inventory sensor 21: Overall controller 22: Ground side controller (trolley control department) 23: First stacker crane 24:Second stacker crane 25: Transport trolley 25a: Wheel 25b: car body 25c: lift 26: Body side controller 27: Driving track 90:box (item) 91: The first storage rack 92: The second storage rack 93: The first storage department 94:Second storage department

Fig. 1 is a side view of an article conveyance facility according to an embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 2 is a plan view of a transport trolley traveling from a first receiving platform to a second receiving platform in the same article transporting device. Fig. 3 is a plan view of the situation in which the conveying trolley is traveling from the second receiving platform to the first receiving platform in the same article conveying equipment. Fig. 4 is a block diagram showing a control system of the article conveying facility. 5 is a flowchart showing control of the transport trolley when the transport trolley travels from the first receiving bay to the second receiving bay in the same article conveying facility. Fig. 6 is a flowchart showing the control of the transport trolley when the transport trolley travels from the second receiving bay to the third receiving bay in the same article conveying facility. Fig. 7 is a flowchart showing control of the transport trolley when the transport trolley travels from the third receiving bay to the second receiving bay in the same article conveying facility. 8 is a flowchart showing control of the transport trolley when the transport trolley travels from the second receiving bay to the first receiving bay in the same article conveying facility.

10: Item handling equipment

11: Driving path (transportation path)

11a: one end of the travel path 11

11b: the other end of the travel path 11

12: The first receiving station (item support department, upstream side article support department)

13: The second receiving platform (item support department, upstream side article support department)

14: The third receiving platform (item support department, downstream side article support department)

15: The fourth receiving platform (item support department, downstream side article support department)

16: Supporting part

23: First stacker crane

24:Second stacker crane

25: Transport trolley

25a: Wheel

25b: car body

25c: lift

27: Driving track

90: box (item)

91: The first storage rack

92: The second storage rack

93: The first storage department

94:Second storage department

Claims (8)

An article conveying device, comprising: a conveying trolley for conveying articles; a plurality of article support parts arranged on the conveying path of the article and temporarily storing the articles conveyed by the conveying trolley; and a trolley control part, the control station traveling of the transport trolley, and transporting the article by the transport trolley traveling between the specified article support parts, The article handling equipment is characterized in that: The trolley control unit controls the vehicle traveling toward the specific article support unit based on an inventory status of a downstream article support unit located on a downstream side of the specific article support unit with respect to a traveling direction of the transport trolley. Transport instruction and travel speed of the transport trolley. The article conveyance facility according to claim 1, wherein the trolley control unit moves the article toward the downstream side of the conveyance path of the article toward the article support portion on which the article is to be temporarily placed, when the conveyance trolley In a case where the article support section on the downstream side is located further downstream than the article support section where the article is temporarily placed, the traveling of the transport cart is set to a low-speed mode. The article conveying device according to claim 1 or claim 2, comprising a first transfer device, the first transfer device performs transfer of articles between the downstream side article support part according to a specific transfer instruction , The trolley control unit controls the transport instruction and travel speed of the transport trolley based on the inventory status of the downstream article support unit and the presence or absence of the transport instruction to the first transfer device. The article conveying equipment according to claim 3, wherein the trolley control unit temporarily places the article on the downstream article support unit, and the first transfer device does not perform article support from the downstream side In case of the transfer instruction to partially transfer the article, the travel of the transfer trolley is set to a low-speed mode. The article conveying facility according to claim 3, wherein the trolley control unit sets the traveling of the conveying trolley to a low-speed mode when the first transfer device cannot execute the conveying instruction. The article conveyance facility according to claim 1, wherein the trolley control unit does not move the conveyance trolley when the conveyance trolley travels toward the upstream side of the conveyance path of the article toward the article support portion scheduled to receive the article. When the article is temporarily placed in an upstream article support unit located upstream from an article support unit that is scheduled to receive the article, the transport vehicle is driven in a low-speed mode. The article conveying equipment according to claim 6, comprising a second transfer device, the second transfer device moves the transfer trolley between the article support part that is scheduled to receive the article according to a specific transfer instruction the removal of said articles, When the cart control unit does not temporarily place the article on the article support unit and the second transfer device does not execute the transfer instruction to transfer the article to the article support unit, The travel of the transport trolley is set to a low-speed mode. The article transport facility according to claim 7, wherein the trolley control unit sets the travel of the transport trolley to a low-speed mode when there is no transport instruction to the second transfer device.

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