TW202426367A - Sorting apparatus and article transport system - Google Patents

Abstract

An objective of the present invention is to obtain a novel and improved sorting apparatus and article transport system. A sorting apparatus of the present invention which sorts an article to a first transport path in a first state where a movable unit is located at a first position, and sorts the article to a second transport path in a second state where the movable unit is located at a second position. For example, when the sorting apparatus is restarted after the power supply to the sorting apparatus is cut off, if a position detection unit detects that the movable unit is located at the second position, a drive control unit controls a drive mechanism in such a way that the movable unit is located at the second position, and a transport control unit controls a transport mechanism so that the article is transport to the second transport path, and if the position detection unit detected that the movable unit is not located at the second position, the drive control unit controls the drive mechanism in such a way that the movable unit is located at the first position.

Description

Sorting equipment and goods handling system

The present invention relates to a classification device and an article conveying system.

In the past, there is a known classification device that classifies items conveyed on a conveying path into a plurality of conveying paths (for example, refer to Patent Document 1).

The article transport system including such a classification device is provided, for example, with: an article sensor that detects articles at a plurality of positions on the transport path; and an identification information sensor that detects identification information of an article at a predetermined position on the transport path. The article transport system associates the detection information of the article with the identification information, thereby grasping the approximate position of the article on the transport path and the identification information of the article. Furthermore, the classification device classifies the incoming article into the transport path corresponding to the article among the plurality of transport paths according to the identification information associated with the detection information of the article.

[Prior Art Literature]

[Patent Literature]

(Patent document 1) Japanese Patent Gazette No. 4715663

In the above-mentioned article transport system, if a power outage occurs unexpectedly, there is a risk that the actual location of the article and the article detection information may deviate, or the detection information may disappear. In particular, if the article is located in the sorting device near the entrance, when it is restarted after the power outage, there is a risk that the sorting device will not be able to correctly sort the article. Therefore, for example, it will be laborious for the operator to confirm the actual identification information of the article and carry the article to the correct transport path corresponding to the identification information, and there is a risk that it will take time to restore to normal operation.

Therefore, one of the subjects of the present invention is to obtain a novel and improved sorting device and article conveying system that can reduce the labor and time required until the power outage occurs unexpectedly, for example.

The classification device of the present invention comprises, for example: a movable part, which is movable between a first position and a second position; a driving mechanism, which makes the movable part move and switch between a state of being located at the first position and a state of being located at the second position; a driving control part, which controls the driving mechanism to make the movable part located at the first position or the second position corresponding to each article; a position detecting part, which detects whether the movable part is located at the second position; a conveying mechanism, which conveys the article to the first conveying path or the second conveying path; and a conveying control part, which controls the operation of the conveying mechanism; the classification device is composed of: in the first state of the movable part at the first position, the article is classified to the first conveying path, and in the first state of the movable part In the second state at the second position, the aforementioned articles are classified to the second conveying path; wherein, when the power supply to the aforementioned classification device is cut off and then restarted, the aforementioned position detection unit detects that the aforementioned movable part is at the aforementioned second position, and the aforementioned drive control unit controls the aforementioned drive mechanism in such a manner that the aforementioned movable part is at the aforementioned second position, and the aforementioned conveying control unit controls the aforementioned conveying mechanism to perform a conveying action of conveying the aforementioned articles to the aforementioned second conveying path; when the power supply to the aforementioned classification device is cut off and then restarted, the aforementioned position detection unit detects that the aforementioned movable part is not at the aforementioned second position, and the aforementioned drive control unit controls the aforementioned drive mechanism in such a manner that the aforementioned movable part is at the aforementioned first position.

In addition, the article conveying system of the present invention is, for example, equipped with: the aforementioned classification device; the aforementioned first conveying path; and the aforementioned second conveying path.

1,1A to 1D: Goods handling system

10: Transportation Road

10J: confluence device

21: Conveyance Road (First Conveyance Road)

21D: Classification device

21P: Take-out position

22: Conveyance Road (Second Conveyance Road)

23: Conveyance Road (Third Conveyance Road)

40,40A: Object sensor (object detection unit)

50,50-1,50-2: Identification information sensor (identification information detection unit)

100: Classification device

101:Transportation mechanism

101a: Upper surface

102: Transport mechanism (movable part)

102a: Upper surface

103:Transportation mechanism

104: Transport mechanism

105: Transport mechanism (move-out mechanism)

110: Calculation and processing unit

111: Transport control department

112: Classification judgment department

113: Drive control unit

114: End judgment unit

115: Article Inspection and Processing Department (Article Inspection Department)

116: Identification Information Processing Department (Identification Information Detection Department)

117: Position detection processing unit (position detection unit)

118: Voltage detection and processing unit

121: Main memory

122: Auxiliary memory unit

140: Driving mechanism

150: Reserve power supply

161: Position sensor (position detection unit)

162: Voltage sensor

A: Items

P1: First position

P2: Second position

S1: First state

S2: Second state

S11,S12,S13,S14,S15,S16,S17: Steps

FIG1 is an illustrative and schematic top view of an article transport system including a sorting device of the first embodiment.

FIG2 is an example and schematic rear view of a portion of the classification device of the embodiment.

FIG3 is a block diagram of an example of a classification device of an implementation type.

Figure 4 is a flow chart showing an example of the control sequence of the classification device of the implementation type when restarting after a power outage.

FIG. 5 is an illustrative and schematic top view of an article transport system including a sorting device of the second embodiment.

FIG6 is an illustrative and schematic top view of an article transport system including a sorting device of the third embodiment.

FIG. 7 is an illustrative and schematic top view of an article transport system including a sorting device of the fourth embodiment.

The following discloses an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. The structure of the embodiment shown below, and the effects and results (effects) obtained from the structure are examples. The present invention can also be realized by structures other than the structures disclosed in the following embodiments. In addition, according to the present invention, at least one of the various effects (including derived effects) obtained by the following structure can be obtained.

The multiple implementations illustrated below include the same structure, and the same effects based on the same structure can be obtained according to each implementation. In addition, in the following, the same components will be marked with common symbols and repeated descriptions will be omitted.

In addition, in this manual, ordinal numbers are given for the convenience of distinguishing locations, structures, etc., and do not indicate priority or sequence, nor do they limit the number.

In addition, arrows indicating directions are drawn in each figure. The X direction and the Y direction are roughly along the horizontal direction, and the Z direction is roughly along the vertical direction. The X direction, the Y direction, and the Z direction are orthogonal to each other.

[First implementation form]

[Configuration of article transport system]

FIG1 is a top view of the article transport system 1A (1) of the first embodiment. As shown in FIG1 , the article transport system 1A includes: a transport path 10, a sorting device 100, a transport path 21, and a transport path 22.

The conveying paths 10, 21, and 22 each have at least one conveying mechanism for conveying article A. The conveying mechanism is, for example, a conveyor such as a roller conveyor (conveyor) or a chain conveyor, but is not limited thereto. In addition, the conveying mechanism for conveying article A in the conveying path 10 immediately before the sorting device 100 is referred to as the conveying mechanism 104.

Article A is transported to the sorting device 100 on the conveying path 10. The sorting device 100 receives the article A and selectively transfers, i.e., sorts, the article A to either the conveying path 21 or the conveying path 22. The conveying paths 21 and 22 respectively transport the article A sorted by the sorting device 100. The conveying path 21 is an example of the first conveying path, and the conveying path 22 is an example of the second conveying path.

Article sensors 40 are provided on the conveying paths 10, 21, 22 and the sorting device 100, respectively. Article sensors 40 output detection signals of article A at predetermined conveying positions, respectively. Whether article A exists at the conveying position is detected based on the detection signals. A plurality of article sensors 40 are provided on each conveying path 10, 21, 22 at predetermined intervals in the conveying direction of article A. In addition, a plurality of article sensors 40 corresponding to the conveying positions of different articles A are also provided on the sorting device 100. Article sensor 40 is, for example, a photoelectric sensor, but is not limited thereto. In addition, the so-called conveying position refers to the position of article A on the conveying paths 10, 21, 22 and the sorting device 100. Article sensor 40 is an example of an article detection unit.

In addition, identification information sensors 50 (50-1, 50-2) are respectively provided in the conveying paths 10 and 21. The identification information sensor 50 reads the identifier assigned to the item A at a predetermined conveying position and detects the identification information of the item A. The identification information sensor 50 is, for example, a code reader having a light receiving unit and a decoder, but is not limited thereto. In addition, for example, the identifier may also be a radio frequency identifier (RFID) tag, in which case the identification information sensor 50 may also be an RFID reader. The identification information sensor 50 is an example of an identification information detection unit.

The identification information sensor 50-1 is disposed in the conveying path 10 in the conveying direction relative to the rear of the sorting device 100, and can detect the identification information of the item A before entering the sorting device 100. In addition, the identification information sensor 50-2 is disposed in the conveying path 21 in the conveying direction relative to the front of the sorting device 100, and can detect the identification information of the item A sorted from the sorting device 100 to the conveying path 21.

[Classification device]

The sorting device 100 has: a conveying mechanism 101, which conveys the article A to the conveying path 21 in the X direction; a conveying mechanism 102, which conveys the article A to the conveying path 22 in the Y direction; and a conveying mechanism 103, which conveys the article A to the conveying path 22 in the X direction. The conveying mechanisms 101 to 103 are configured in a manner that does not interfere with each other. The conveying mechanisms 101 and 103 are, for example, roller conveyors, and the conveying mechanism 102 is, for example, a chain conveyor, but is not limited thereto.

The sorting device 100 switches between a state where the conveying mechanisms 101 and 103 convey the article A and a state where the conveying mechanism 102 conveys the article A by changing the position of the conveying mechanism 102 upward or downward.

FIG. 2 is a rear view of a portion of the sorting device 100 viewed in the X direction. As shown in FIG. 2 , the conveying mechanism 102 is configured to be movable between a first position P1 and a second position P2 above the first position P1.

In the first state S1 where the conveying mechanism 102 is located at the first position P1, the upper surface 102a of the conveying mechanism 102 is located below the upper surface 101a of the conveying mechanism 101. In this first state S1, the object A is supported on the upper surface 101a of the conveying mechanism 101 and is conveyed in the X direction by the conveying mechanism 101, that is, it is classified to the conveying path 21.

On the other hand, in the second state S2 where the conveying mechanism 102 is located at the second position P2, the upper surface 102a of the conveying mechanism 102 is located above the upper surface 101a of the conveying mechanism 101. In this second state S2, the object A is supported on the upper surface 102a of the conveying mechanism 102 and is conveyed in the Y direction by the conveying mechanism 102, that is, it is classified to the conveying path 22.

Thus, the classification device 100 of this embodiment is configured such that, by switching between the first position P1 and the second position P2 of the conveying mechanism 102, the first state S1 in which the article A is classified to the conveying path 21 and the second state S2 in which the article A is classified to the conveying path 22 are switched. The conveying mechanism 102 is an example of a movable part.

In addition, various forms of transfer machines, sorters, diverters, etc. can be used for the sorting device 100, and the structure of the movable part of the sorting device 100 is not limited to this example. In addition, the movable part of the sorting device can also be a structure that selectively guides the object A to one of the conveying paths 21 and 22, and the first position P1 and the second position P2 can also be different positions in the horizontal direction.

[Control of classification device]

FIG3 is a block diagram of the classification device 100. As shown in FIG3, the classification device 100 includes a computer having a calculation processing unit 110, a main memory unit 121, and an auxiliary memory unit 122.

The calculation processing unit 110 is, for example, a processor (circuit). The main memory unit 121 is, for example, a RAM (random access memory) or a ROM (read only memory), and the auxiliary memory unit 122 is, for example, a HDD (hard disk drive) or an SSD (solid state drive). The calculation processing unit 110 reads and executes the program (application) stored in the ROM of the main memory unit 121 and the auxiliary memory unit 122. The processor operates according to the program, thereby operating as the transport control unit 111, the classification determination unit 112, the drive control unit 113, the end determination unit 114, the item detection processing unit 115, the identification information processing unit 116, the position detection processing unit 117, and the voltage detection processing unit 118. In this case, the program includes program modules corresponding to each of the transport control unit 111, the classification determination unit 112, the drive control unit 113, the end determination unit 114, the item detection processing unit 115, the identification information processing unit 116, the position detection processing unit 117, and the voltage detection processing unit 118.

The program can be provided in the form of an installable or executable file recorded in a recording medium that can be read by a computer. The recording medium can also be called a program product. In addition, the program is stored in the memory of a computer connected to a communication network and can be imported into the computer by downloading it through the network. In addition, the program can also be pre-installed in a ROM, etc.

In addition, when at least a part of the computer is constructed by hardware, the computer may also include, for example, FPGA (field programmable gate array), ASIC (application specific integrated circuit), etc.

The ROM of the main memory unit 121 or the auxiliary memory unit 122 stores information used in the calculation processing performed by the transport control unit 111, the classification determination unit 112, the drive control unit 113, the end determination unit 114, the item detection processing unit 115, the identification information processing unit 116, the position detection processing unit 117, and the voltage detection processing unit 118. In addition, the information used in the calculation processing can also be written in the program.

In addition, in the calculation processing unit 110, the conveying mechanisms 101 to 104, the driving mechanism 140, the object sensor 40, the identification information sensor 50, the position sensor 161 and the voltage sensor 162 are electrically connected.

The conveying control unit 111 can also control the conveying mechanisms 101 to 104 to convey the article A.

The classification determination unit 112 obtains the identification information of the item A from the identification information processing unit 116, and refers to the data showing the correspondence between the identification information of the item A and the transport paths 21, 22 as the classification destinations stored in the auxiliary memory unit 122, and determines the transport paths 21, 22 as the classification destinations corresponding to the identification information of the item A.

The drive control unit 113 controls the drive mechanism 140 so that the transport mechanism 102 as a movable part is located at the first position P1 or the second position P2. The drive mechanism 140 has, for example, a motor, a speed reduction mechanism, and a rotation-to-translation conversion mechanism. In this case, the position of the transport mechanism 102 is changed according to the rotation of the motor of the drive mechanism 140, and the transport mechanism 102 is stationary according to the stop of the motor. That is, the drive mechanism 140 can switch the transport mechanism 102 to a state of being located at the first position P1, a state of being located at the second position P2, and a state of moving between the first position P1 and the second position P2. During normal operation, the drive control unit 113 controls the drive mechanism 140 so that the article A is transported to the transport path 21, 22 determined by the classification determination unit 112, that is, the transport mechanism 102 is located at the first position P1 or the second position P2 corresponding to each article A.

The end determination unit 114 determines whether the control is completed when restarting after a power outage. The operation of the end determination unit 114 will be described later.

The article detection processing unit 115 detects whether there is an article A at the conveying position corresponding to the article sensor 40 based on the detection signal of each article sensor 40. The article sensor 40 and the article detection processing unit 115 are an example of an article detection unit.

The identification information processing unit 116 obtains identification information from each identification information sensor 50 and transmits the identification information to the classification determination unit 112. In addition, the identification information processing unit 116 can also constitute an identification information detection unit together with the identification information sensor 50.

The position detection processing unit 117 detects the position of the conveying mechanism 102 as a movable part based on the detection signal of the position sensor 161. The position detection processing unit 117 can at least detect whether the conveying mechanism 102 is located at the second position P2. The position sensor 161 outputs a detection signal of the position of the conveying mechanism 102. The position sensor 161 is, for example, a sensor that outputs a detection signal when the conveying mechanism 102 is located at the second position P2, such as a photoelectric sensor, but is not limited to this. In addition, in addition to the sensor that outputs a detection signal when the conveying mechanism 102 is located at the second position P2, a sensor that outputs a detection signal when the conveying mechanism 102 is located at the first position P1 can also be set. The position sensor 161 and the position detection processing unit 117 are an example of a position detection unit.

The voltage detection processing unit 118 detects the voltage of the power supply to the classification device 100 based on the detection signal of the voltage sensor 162. The voltage detection processing unit 118 and the voltage sensor 162 are examples of a voltage detection unit.

In addition, as shown in FIG3 , the classification device 100 may also have a backup power supply 150. The backup power supply 150 is a device that maintains at least the supply of operating power to the object sensor 40 during a power outage, such as an uninterruptible power supply. Furthermore, the backup power supply 150 may also maintain the supply of operating power to sensors such as the identification information sensor 50 and the position sensor 161 other than the object sensor 40 during a power outage. The backup power supply may also be referred to as a backup power supply. In addition, the voltage sensor 162 and the calculation processing unit 110, the main memory unit 121, and the auxiliary memory unit 122 as a computer are configured such that the operating power is supplied by a power source independent of the backup power supply 150 or the backup power supply 150 regardless of whether there is a power outage or not.

In addition, in this embodiment, when there is a power outage, the supply of operating power to the transport mechanisms 101 to 104 and the drive mechanism 140 is not maintained, that is, it is cut off. This is because the operation of the transport mechanisms 101 to 104 and the drive mechanism 140 requires more power, which will, for example, make the backup power supply device larger and increase the installation cost. In addition, in this case, the supply of power to all transport mechanisms 101 to 104 and the drive mechanism 140 can also be cut off.

[Control sequence when restarting after power outage]

FIG4 is a flow chart showing the control sequence of the sorting device 100 when restarting after a power outage. When restarting after an unexpected power outage, the sorting device 100 operates in a mode different from normal operation according to the sequence of FIG4. In addition, the power outage is set to cut off the power supply to the conveying mechanisms 101 to 103, the conveying mechanism 104, and the driving mechanism 140 of the sorting device 100.

When restarting after a power outage, first, the position detection processing unit 117 detects whether the conveying mechanism 102 is at the second position P2 (step S11).

In step S11, the position detection processing unit 117 detects that the transport mechanism 102 is at the second position P2 (YES in step S11), and the drive control unit 113 controls the drive mechanism 140 to maintain the transport mechanism 102 at the second position P2 (step S12).

Furthermore, the conveying control unit 111 controls the conveying mechanisms 101 to 104 to start the conveying action of conveying the article A to the conveying path 22 (step S13). In addition, the conveying action in step S13 refers to the action of conveying the article A to the conveying path 22. That is, in step S13, when there is actually an article A, the article A is conveyed, and when there is actually no article A, the article A is not conveyed.

Here, when the item detection processing unit 115 detects item A at the predetermined conveying position (predetermined position) of item A set corresponding to the classification device 100 (yes in step S14), the end determination unit 114 tracks the conveying position of item A thereafter, that is, monitors the movement of the conveying position of item A, and at the time point when it is determined that the movement of item A to the conveying path 22 has been completed (yes in step S15), a series of controls when restarting after a power outage are terminated. In other words, until the end determination unit 114 determines that the control is ended in step S15, the transport control unit 111 continues the transport action started in step S13, and the drive control unit 113 controls the drive mechanism 140, so that the object A is transported to the transport path 22 by the transport action. By ending a series of controls, the sorting device 100 returns to normal operation. In addition, the end determination unit 114 repeats step S15 at a predetermined time interval when it is not determined that the movement of the object A to the transport path 22 is completed (NO in step S15). In addition, the determination of step S15 can also be terminated by setting a time limit.

The predetermined position in step S14 (i.e., the predetermined conveying position of the article A set corresponding to the sorting device 100) is, for example: the conveying position in the sorting device 100, such as the position output by the detection signal of the article sensor 40A shown in FIG1, or the conveying position that is forward in the conveying direction relative to the conveying position detected by the identification information sensor 50-1 and rearward (front side) in the conveying direction relative to the sorting device 100, etc.

On the other hand, in step S14, if item A is not detected at the predetermined position (No in step S14), the end determination unit 114 terminates a series of controls when restarting after power failure, for example, at a predetermined time point after the end of step S13 (Yes in step S16). That is, the control of the conveying mechanisms 101 to 104 by the conveying control unit 111 and the control of the driving mechanism 140 by the driving control unit 113 when restarting after power failure are terminated. Thus, the sorting device 100 returns to normal operation. On the other hand, before the predetermined time has passed (No in step S16), it returns to step S14. Here, the predetermined time of step S16 is, for example, the time obtained by multiplying the maximum required time by a safety factor greater than 1, and the maximum required time is the maximum time required for the object A to move from the conveying position where the identification information is detected by the identification information sensor 50-1 to the conveying path 22. In addition, the timing start time of the predetermined time can be appropriately set to be before or after step S12 or step S13.

In addition, in step S11, when the position detection processing unit 117 detects that the conveying mechanism 102 is not at the second position P2 (No in step S11), the drive control unit 113 controls the drive mechanism 140 to maintain the conveying mechanism 102 at the first position P1 or move it to the first position P1 (step S17), and ends a series of controls when restarting after power failure. In this way, the sorting device 100 returns to normal operation.

According to the sequence of the present embodiment described above, when restarting after a power outage, when the conveying mechanism 102 is located at the second position P2, the sorting device 100 sorts the article A located in the sorting device 100 and immediately in front of the sorting device 100 to the conveying path 22 according to the predetermined assumption that the article A should be sorted to the conveying path 22. On the other hand, when the conveying mechanism 102 is not located at the second position P2, the sorting device 100 sorts the article A located in the sorting device 100 and immediately in front of the sorting device 100 to the conveying path 21. According to this embodiment, even if the reliability of the detection information and identification information of item A is damaged due to a power outage, the sorting device 100 can automatically sort item A when it is restarted after the power outage. Therefore, compared with the previous situation where the operator manually confirms the identification information of all items A located in the sorting device 100 and near the entrance and sorts them, the labor and time until recovery can be reduced.

Furthermore, as shown in FIG1 , an identification information sensor 50-2 is provided on the conveying path 21. Therefore, even if the item A that should be classified to the conveying path 22 is classified to the conveying path 21 due to the above-mentioned control, the item A can be sent back to the conveying path 22 according to the identification information detected by the identification information sensor 50-2. In addition, in this case, the operation of moving the item A from the removal position 21P to the conveying path 22 can also be performed manually by the operator. In addition, an identification information sensor 50 can also be provided on the conveying path 22.

In addition, by using the backup power source 150, at least the operating power supply to the object sensor 40 is maintained even during a power outage. In this case, the calculation processing unit 110 can easily grasp the conveying position of the object A obtained and tracked before the power outage even during a power outage. In this case, the advantage of being able to perform control more smoothly, quickly or more accurately during restart can be obtained.

[Second implementation form]

FIG5 is a top view of the article conveying system 1B (1) of the second embodiment. As shown in FIG5, in this embodiment, a sorting device 21D and a conveying path 23 (discharge path) are provided on the conveying path 21. The sorting device 21D is provided with a conveying mechanism 105 that can discharge the article A to the conveying path 23 outside the conveying path 21. The conveying mechanism 105 is an example of a discharge mechanism.

The classification device 21D obtains the identification information of the item A obtained by the identification information sensor 50-2, and refers to and displays the information of the conveying path corresponding to the identification information. Moreover, the classification device 21D controls the conveying mechanism 105 and the switching mechanism for switching the action of the conveying mechanism 105 between effective and ineffective when the conveying path corresponding to the item A is not the conveying path 21, so as to discharge the item A to the conveying path 23 outside the conveying path 21.

With this structure, during the control of restarting after the power outage, even if the item A that should be sorted to the conveying path 22 is sorted to the conveying path 21 by the sorting device 100, the item A can be prevented from being transported forward in the conveying direction by the sorting device 21D on the conveying path 21. In addition, the item A can be transported from the conveying path 23 to the conveying path 22 by the operator, or can be transported from the conveying path 23 to the conveying path 22 via the merging device of the conveying path 23 and the conveying path 22.

[Third implementation form]

FIG6 is a top view of the article conveying system 1C (1) of the third embodiment. As shown in FIG6, the article conveying system 1C of this embodiment has a classification device 21D and a conveying path 23 that are the same as those of the second embodiment. However, in this embodiment, the conveying path 23 is configured as an entrance for returning article A to the classification device 100. Specifically, the article conveying system 1C has a merging device 10J that returns article A conveyed on the conveying path 23 to the conveying path 10, and the merging device 10J is arranged on the front side of the classification device 100 (rearward in the conveying direction) and is arranged further forward than the conveying position where the identification information is detected by the identification information sensor 50-1. Thus, in the control during restart after power failure, even if the item A that should be sorted to conveying path 22 is sorted to conveying path 21 due to the sorting device 100, the sorting device 100 can sort the item A to conveying path 22 in normal operation after the control during restart after power failure. The conveying path 23 of the third embodiment is an example of the third conveying path.

[Fourth implementation form]

FIG7 is a top view of the article conveying system 1D (1) of the fourth embodiment. As shown in FIG7, in the article conveying system 1D of this embodiment, the conveying path 21 conveys the articles to the conveying path 10 via the merging device 10J. In this case, the position of the merging device 10J is the same as that of the third embodiment. In this configuration, the conveying path 21, the merging device 10J, the conveying path 10 between the merging device 10J and the sorting device 100, and the sorting device 100 together constitute a circulation path for conveying articles A. This situation is also the same as the third embodiment. In the control during restart after power failure, even if the item A that should be classified to conveying path 22 is classified to conveying path 21 due to the classification device 100, the classification device 100 can classify the item A to conveying path 22 in normal operation after the control during restart after power failure.

The above examples illustrate the implementation of the present invention, but the above examples are only examples and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. The above examples can be implemented in various other forms, and can be omitted, replaced, combined, and changed in various ways without departing from the gist of the invention. In addition, the specifications of various structures, shapes, etc. (structure, type, direction, type, size, length, width, thickness, height, quantity, configuration, position, material, etc.) can be appropriately changed and implemented.

S11,S12,S13,S14,S15,S16,S17: Steps

Claims (10)

A classification device having: The movable part is movable between a first position and a second position; The driving mechanism moves the movable part so as to switch between the state of being in the first position and the state of being in the second position; The drive control unit controls the aforementioned drive mechanism to correspond to each object and make the aforementioned movable part be at the aforementioned first position or the aforementioned second position; The position detection unit detects whether the movable unit is located at the second position; The transport mechanism transports the aforementioned items to the first transport path or the second transport path; and The transport control unit controls the movement of the aforementioned transport mechanism; The aforementioned classification device is configured to: classify the aforementioned articles to the first conveying path when the aforementioned movable part is in the first state at the aforementioned first position, and classify the aforementioned articles to the second conveying path when the aforementioned movable part is in the second state at the second position; wherein, When the power supply to the aforementioned sorting device is cut off and then restarted, the aforementioned position detection unit detects that the aforementioned movable part is at the aforementioned second position, and the aforementioned drive control unit controls the aforementioned drive mechanism in such a manner that the aforementioned movable part is at the aforementioned second position, and the aforementioned transport control unit controls the aforementioned transport mechanism to perform a transport action of transporting the aforementioned article to the aforementioned second transport path; When the power supply to the classification device is cut off and the device is restarted, the position detection unit detects that the movable part is not at the second position, and the drive control unit controls the drive mechanism in such a way that the movable part is at the first position. The classification device as described in claim 1 is equipped with: The item detection unit detects whether the aforementioned items are located at the designated transport location; and The backup power source maintains the power supply to the aforementioned object detection unit even when the power supply to the aforementioned classification device is cut off. The classification device as described in claim 2 is composed of: In the event that the power supply to the aforementioned classification device is cut off, the power supply to at least one of the aforementioned conveying mechanism and the aforementioned driving mechanism is cut off. The classification device as described in claim 1 is equipped with: The item detection unit can detect whether the aforementioned items are located at the designated transport location; and The drive control unit detects the movable part at the second position by the position detection unit during the restart, and controls the drive mechanism to continue the conveying action at least until the object is moved to the second conveying path when the object is detected by the object detection unit. A classification device as described in claim 1, wherein, When the position detection unit detects that the movable part is at the second position, the control of the drive mechanism by the drive control unit and the control of the transport mechanism by the transport control unit continue from the predetermined timing start time and end after a predetermined time. A classification device as described in claim 1, wherein, The aforementioned first conveying path is a conveying path provided with an identification information detection unit, and the identification information detection unit detects the identification information of the aforementioned article conveyed on the first conveying path. A classification device as described in claim 6, wherein, The first conveying path is a conveying path provided with a carrying-out mechanism, which corresponds to the first conveying path. When it is determined that the article is not an article to be conveyed on the first conveying path according to the detection signal of the identification information detection unit, the article is carried out outside the first conveying path. A classification device as described in claim 7, wherein, The first conveying path is a conveying path provided with a third conveying path, and the third conveying path corresponds to the carrying-out mechanism, and carries the articles carried out by the carrying-out mechanism to the entrance of the articles of the classification device. A classification device as described in claim 1, wherein, The first conveying path constitutes a circulation path for conveying the aforementioned articles to the entrance of the aforementioned articles of the aforementioned classification device. A goods transport system having: A classification device as described in any of claim items 1 to 9; The aforementioned first conveying path; and The aforementioned second transport route.

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