Goods carrier

Abstract

In an article carrier capable of carrying a variety of articles, it is possible to suppress the enlargement of the article carrier and improve the efficiency of operations corresponding to the types of articles. When the control device determines that the article held by the holding unit is a first type of article, it controls the transfer mechanism so that the rotation operation based on the rotation mechanism and the sliding operation based on the sliding mechanism are performed in such a way that their operation periods do not overlap with each other. When it determines that the article held by the holding unit is a second type of article, it controls the transfer mechanism so that the rotation operation and the sliding operation are performed in such a way that their operation periods overlap with each other.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an article carrier that moves along a moving path to carry a variety of articles. Background Art

[0002] For example, Japanese Patent No. 5700255 (Patent Document 1) discloses a variety of article carriers corresponding to a variety of articles. In Patent Document 1, as article carriers, a first ceiling carrier (B1) dedicated to carrying a wafer storage container (W) and a second ceiling carrier (B2) dedicated to carrying an intermediate mask storage container (R) are disclosed. Since the wafer storage container (W) and the intermediate mask storage container (R) are different in size and shape from each other, according to the technology disclosed in Patent Document 1, article carriers of different types are used as described above. In addition, the reference numerals shown in parentheses in the above description are the reference numerals in the drawings of Patent Document 1.

[0003] In addition, for example, Japanese Patent No. 6586936 (Patent Document 2) discloses an article carrier that changes the posture of an article during transportation. The article carrier (2) disclosed in Patent Document 2 is configured such that a gripping portion (3Ga) for gripping an article (W) slides in the lateral direction (Y), so that after protruding outside the accommodating portion (22a) and being disposed directly above a transfer portion (6b) of a transfer target portion (6), the gripping portion (3Ga) is lifted and lowered, whereby the article (W) is transferred between the gripping portion (3Ga) and the transfer portion (6b). Further, in the technology disclosed in Patent Document 2, during the transportation of the article (W) from a transportation source to a transportation destination, the article (W) is rotated about a vertical axis, whereby the posture of the article (W) is changed so as to be in a required appropriate posture at the transportation destination. In addition, the reference numerals shown in parentheses in the above description are the reference numerals in the drawings of Patent Document 2.

[0004] However, compared with the case of using a variety of article carriers corresponding to a variety of articles as in the technology disclosed in Patent Document 1, when configured to be able to carry a variety of articles by means of a single article carrier, the degree of freedom in selecting an article carrier for carrying each article increases. Therefore, high-efficiency operation can be achieved for the entire equipment.

[0005] Here, in the technology disclosed in Patent Document 2, the article is rotated while being slid laterally to a state outside the accommodating portion. However, if the sliding action and the rotating action can be performed in parallel, the time required for the posture changing action of the article can be shortened, and the efficiency of the action can be achieved. However, in order to perform the rotating action also during the sliding action and be able to carry a variety of articles of different sizes, it is necessary to design the size of the article carrier, particularly the size of the space around the accommodating portion, in accordance with the article having the largest turning radius. In this case, there is a problem that the article carrier tends to be large-sized. Summary of the Invention

[0006] In view of the above actual situation, in an article carrier capable of carrying a variety of articles, a technology is desired that can suppress the large-sizing of the article carrier and achieve the efficiency of the action corresponding to the types of articles.

[0007] An article carrier moves along a moving path to carry various articles. It is characterized in that the direction of carrying the aforesaid articles along the aforesaid moving path is set as the carrying direction, and the direction that intersects when viewed in the up-and-down direction with respect to the aforesaid carrying direction is set as the intersecting direction. The aforesaid article carrier includes a storage part, a transfer mechanism, and a control device. The aforesaid storage part stores the aforesaid articles. The aforesaid transfer mechanism performs a transfer action of the aforesaid articles between the aforesaid transfer mechanism and a transfer target part located outside the aforesaid storage part. The aforesaid control device controls the aforesaid transfer mechanism. The aforesaid transfer mechanism includes a holding part for holding the aforesaid articles, a lifting mechanism for lifting and lowering the aforesaid holding part, a sliding mechanism for sliding the aforesaid holding part along the aforesaid intersecting direction between the inside and outside of the aforesaid storage part, and a rotating mechanism for rotating the aforesaid holding part around the up-and-down axis. At least two types of articles are included in the aforesaid articles, namely a first type of article and a second type of article. The movement locus of the first type of article when it does not rotate by means of the aforesaid rotating mechanism but slides by means of the aforesaid sliding mechanism is set as the first sliding locus. The movement locus of the first type of article when it rotates by means of the aforesaid rotating mechanism and slides by means of the aforesaid sliding mechanism is set as the first rotational movement locus. The movement locus of the second type of article when it does not rotate by means of the aforesaid rotating mechanism but slides by means of the aforesaid sliding mechanism is set as the second sliding locus. The movement locus of the second type of article when it rotates by means of the aforesaid rotating mechanism and slides by means of the aforesaid sliding mechanism is set as the second rotational movement locus. The first type of article is an article for which the first sliding locus does not overlap with a target part provided in the aforesaid storage part, but the first rotational movement locus overlaps with the aforesaid target part. The second type of article is an article for which the second sliding locus and the second rotational movement locus do not overlap with the aforesaid target part provided in the aforesaid storage part. When the aforesaid control device determines that the aforesaid article held by the aforesaid holding part is the first type of article, it controls the aforesaid transfer mechanism so that the rotational action based on the aforesaid rotating mechanism and the sliding action based on the aforesaid sliding mechanism are performed in a non-overlapping manner during their respective actions. When the aforesaid control device determines that the aforesaid article held by the aforesaid holding part is the second type of article, it controls the aforesaid transfer mechanism so that the aforesaid rotational action and the aforesaid sliding action are performed in an overlapping manner during their respective actions.

[0008] According to this solution, the first rotational movement trajectory of the first type of article overlaps with the target component provided in the accommodation part. Therefore, when the article held by the holding part is the first type of article, there is a possibility of interference between the first type of article and the target component when the rotational movement and the sliding movement are performed in such a way that their operation periods overlap. However, according to this solution, the control device controls the transfer mechanism, and when it is determined that the article held by the holding part is the first type of article, the rotational movement and the sliding movement are performed in such a way that their operation periods do not overlap. Since the first sliding trajectory of the first type of article does not overlap with the target component, it is possible to perform the sliding movement of the first type of article without interference with the target component, and it is possible to rotate the first type of article at a position where the first type of article does not interfere with the target component, so interference between the first type of article and the target article can be avoided. On the other hand, the second rotational movement trajectory of the second type of article does not overlap with the target component provided in the accommodation part. According to this solution, when the article held by the holding part is the second type of article, the rotational movement and the sliding movement are performed in such a way that their operation periods overlap. As a result, the sliding movement and the rotational movement can be performed in parallel, so it is possible to shorten the time required for the posture change operation of the article and achieve the efficiency of the operation.

[0009] In addition, according to this solution, the turning radius can be designed in cooperation with the second type of article smaller than the first type of article, particularly the size of the space around the accommodation part, of the article carrier. Therefore, compared with the case of designing them in cooperation with the first type of article, there is also an advantage that it is easy to miniaturize the article carrier.

[0010] As described above, according to this solution, in an article carrier capable of carrying multiple types of articles, it is possible to suppress the enlargement of the article carrier and achieve the efficiency of the operation corresponding to the types of articles.

[0011] Further technical features and advantages of the present application can be made clearer from the following illustrative and non-limiting embodiments described with reference to the drawings. Description of the Drawings

[0012] Figure 1 is a front view of the article handling device.

[0013] Figure 2 is a top view of the article handling device.

[0014] Figure 3 is a side view of the article carrier.

[0015] Figure 4 is an explanatory diagram showing the case of detecting the type of article.

[0016] Figure 5 is a control block diagram of the article handling device.

[0017] Figure 6 It is an explanatory diagram showing the copying operation and the unloading operation.

[0018] Figure 7 It is an explanatory diagram showing the first sliding trajectory and the first rotational movement trajectory of the first type of article.

[0019] Figure 8 It is an explanatory diagram showing the second sliding trajectory and the second rotational movement trajectory of the second type of article.

[0020] Figure 9 It is a diagram showing the operation of the transfer mechanism based on the detection result of the article type detection unit.

[0021] Figure 10 It is a diagram showing the operation of the transfer mechanism based on the article type information acquired by the instruction acquisition unit in other embodiments.

[0022] Figure 11 It is a diagram showing the operation of the transfer mechanism based on the detection result of the article type detection unit and the article type information acquired by the instruction acquisition unit in other embodiments. Detailed implementation manners

[0023] The embodiments of the article carrier will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. Hereinafter, the case where the article carrier is applied to an article handling device for handling articles will be exemplified, and the article carrier of the present embodiment will be described.

[0024] As Figure 1 and Figure 2 shown, the article handling device includes an article carrier V for handling an article 8, a track Ra provided near the ceiling of the device to form a movement path R of the article carrier V, and a transfer target portion 9 for transferring the article 8 between the article carrier V.

[0025] A processing device 91 for processing the article 8 is provided at the transfer target portion 9, and a support table 92 for supporting the article 8 is disposed adjacent to the processing device 91. In the present embodiment, the article carrier V transports the article 8 before the processing by the processing device 91 from a transport source outside the figure to the support table 92, and transports the article 8 after the processing by the processing device 91 from the support table 92 to a transport destination outside the figure. In the present embodiment, the article 8 is a container for storing a processing object that is the object of the processing by the processing device 91, and the above-mentioned "processing with respect to the article 8" means processing with respect to the processing object stored in the article 8. For example, as the article 8, it may be a wafer storage container for storing wafers (so-called Front Opening Unified Pod, FOUP), or an intermediate mask storage container for accommodating an intermediate mask (so-called intermediate mask holder). When the article 8 is a front opening unified pod, the processing object is a wafer. When the article 8 is an intermediate mask holder, the processing object is an intermediate mask.

[0026] Hereinafter, with reference to Figures 1 to 3 , the structure of the article carrier V will be described in detail. In addition, hereinafter, the direction in which the article carrier V transports the article 8 along the movement path R is defined as the "transport direction X". And, the direction that intersects when viewed in the vertical direction with respect to the transport direction X is defined as the "cross direction Y". In this example, the cross direction Y is a direction orthogonal to the transport direction X when viewed in the vertical direction. In addition, the transport direction X may be referred to as the first direction, and the cross direction Y may be referred to as the second direction. The first direction and the second direction are directions that intersect with each other when viewed in the vertical direction.

[0027] The article carrier V moves along the movement path R to transport a plurality of articles 8. The article carrier V includes a housing portion 2 for housing the article 8, a transfer mechanism 4 for performing a transfer operation of the article 8 between the transfer target portion 9 located outside the housing portion 2, and a lower-level control device Cv (refer to Figure 5 ) for controlling the transfer mechanism 4. In the present embodiment, the article carrier V further includes a traveling mechanism 1 and a cover 3 that covers the housing portion 2. In addition, in the present embodiment, the lower-level control device Cv corresponds to the "control device".

[0028] The traveling mechanism 1 includes traveling wheels 10 that roll on the track Ra, and a traveling motor M1 (refer to Figure 5 ) for driving the traveling wheels 10. In the illustrated example, the article carrier V includes a plurality of traveling wheels 10. The traveling motor M1 drives at least one of the plurality of traveling wheels 10 and imparts a driving force for the article carrier V to travel in the transport direction X.

[0029] The cover 3 is suspended and supported by the traveling mechanism 1. The traveling mechanism 1 is disposed on the upper side with respect to the rail Ra, and the cover 3 is disposed on the lower side with respect to the rail Ra. In the present embodiment, the cover 3 covers the upper side of the accommodation portion 2 and both sides in the conveying direction X. In this example, the cover 3 includes an upper cover portion 30 that covers the upper side of the accommodation portion 2, a first cover portion 31 that covers one side of the accommodation portion 2 in the conveying direction X, and a second cover portion 32 that covers the other side of the accommodation portion 2 in the conveying direction X. The first cover portion 31 and the second cover portion 32 are respectively disposed facing the surface of the article 8 accommodated in the accommodation portion 2 that faces the conveying direction X. The cover 3 is not disposed on both sides of the accommodation portion 2 in the crossing direction Y and is open.

[0030] The transfer mechanism 4 includes a holding portion 41 that holds the article 8, a lifting mechanism 42 that raises and lowers the holding portion 41, a sliding mechanism 43 that slides the holding portion 41 in the crossing direction Y between the inside and the outside of the accommodation portion 2, and a rotating mechanism 44 that rotates the holding portion 41 about the vertical axis.

[0031] The holding portion 41 includes a pair of holding claws 411 and a holding motor M41 (see Figure 5 ) that causes the pair of holding claws 411 to approach and separate from each other. Further, the holding portion 41 is configured such that, by driving the holding motor M41, the pair of holding claws 411 approach or separate from each other, and the holding state in which the pair of holding claws 411 hold the article 8 and the holding release state in which the holding is released are switched. In the present embodiment, the article 8 includes an article main body portion 8b and a held portion 8g provided above the article main body portion 8b. Further, the holding portion 41 is configured to hold the article 8 by holding the held portion 8g of the article 8, and more specifically, by holding the held portion 8g with the pair of holding claws 411.

[0032] The sliding mechanism 43 includes a sliding body 431 that moves in the crossing direction Y with respect to the accommodation portion 2 and a sliding motor M43 (see Figure 5 ) that causes the sliding body 431 to move in the crossing direction Y. The sliding mechanism 43 is configured such that, by driving the sliding motor M43, the sliding body 431 moves in the crossing direction Y, and thereby the lifting mechanism 42, the holding portion 41, and the article 8 held by the holding portion 41 move in the crossing direction Y, that is, slide. As Figure 1 shown, when the support table 92 of the transfer target portion 9 is disposed at a position deviated in the crossing direction Y with respect to the movement path R, the sliding mechanism 43 can dispose the article 8 at a position overlapping with the support table 92 when viewed in the vertical direction by sliding the article 8 held by the holding portion 41 in the crossing direction Y. Thereby, the transfer of the article 8 to the support table 92 by the lifting mechanism 42 can be appropriately performed.

[0033] The rotating mechanism 44 includes a rotating body 441 rotatably supported about the vertical axis with respect to the sliding body 431, and a rotation motor M44 (see Figure 5 ) for rotating the rotating body 441 about the vertical axis. The rotating mechanism 44 is configured such that the rotation of the rotating body 441 by the drive of the rotation motor M44 causes the holding unit 41 and the article 8 held by the holding unit 41 to rotate in the direction about the vertical axis. By rotating the article 8 held by the holding unit 41, the posture of the article 8 can be changed so that the article 8 faces the appropriate direction with respect to the transfer target portion 9. For example, when the article 8 is a front-opening wafer cassette, an opening for the entry and exit of the object to be processed is provided on its front surface. In this case, the posture of the article 8 is changed by the rotating mechanism 44 so that the opening faces the processing device 91. Thus, the article 8 can be placed on the support table 92 in an appropriate orientation with respect to the processing device 91.

[0034] The lifting mechanism 42 is configured to lift the holding unit 41 between a height corresponding to the accommodation unit 2 and a height corresponding to the support table 92 (transfer target portion 9). The lifting mechanism 42 includes a pulley 421 supported by the rotating body 441, a belt 422 wound around the pulley 421 and connected to the holding unit 41 at its end, and a lifting motor M42 (see Figure 5 ) for rotating the pulley 421 to drive the belt 422. The lifting mechanism 42 rotates the pulley 421 in the forward rotation direction by the drive of the lifting motor M42 and winds the belt 422, thereby raising the holding unit 41 and the article 8 held by the holding unit 41. In addition, the lifting mechanism 42 rotates the pulley 421 in the reverse rotation direction by the drive of the lifting motor M42 and releases the belt 422, thereby lowering the holding unit 41 and the article 8 held by the holding unit 41. The lifting mechanism 42 raises and lowers the article 8 held by the holding unit 41, thereby enabling the transfer of the article 8 between the support table 92 (transfer target portion 9) disposed below the accommodation unit 2.

[0035] Here, among the articles 8 to be transported by the article transport vehicle V, as Figure 4 shown, there are at least two types, namely, the first type of article 81 and the second type of article 82. Hereinafter, when the first type of article 81 and the second type of article 82 are not particularly distinguished, they are collectively referred to as "article 8".

[0036] As described above, the article 8 includes an article main body portion 8b and a held portion 8g. In the present embodiment, the horizontal dimension of the article main body portion 8b is defined as the article width. The first type of article 81 has a first width W1, and the second type of article 82 has a second width W2 that is smaller than the first width W1. In this specification, the "article width" is defined as the dimension of the article main body portion 8b along the conveying direction X in a state where the article 8 is accommodated in the accommodating portion 2 and is in the conveying posture by the conveying mechanism 1. That is, the distance between the side surface 8s on one side of the article main body portion 8b facing the conveying direction X and the side surface 8s on the other side facing the conveying direction X is set as the article width. Hereinafter, as needed, the "side surface 8s of the article main body portion 8b" and the "side surface 8s of the article 8" are described as having the same meaning.

[0037] The article 8 is formed in a polygonal shape or an elliptical shape when viewed from above. In the present embodiment, as Figure 7 and Figure 8 shown, the article 8 is formed in a rectangular shape when viewed from above, and more specifically, in a square shape. In this example, both the first type of article 81 and the second type of article 82 are formed in a rectangular shape when viewed from above, and more specifically, in a square shape. In addition, in the present embodiment, the shapes of the first type of article 81 and the second type of article 82 when viewed from above are similar shapes, but they may also be formed in dissimilar shapes.

[0038] As Figure 7 and Figure 8 shown, the center of the case where the article 8 rotates is set as the rotation center 8c, and the portion of the article 8 that is farthest from the rotation center 8c when viewed from above is set as the side end portion 8e. The distance from the rotation center 8c to the side end portion 8e is larger for the first type of article 81 than for the second type of article 82. That is, the distance from the rotation center 8c to the side end portion 8e is set as the rotation radius 8r in the case where the article 8 rotates, and the rotation radius 8r of the first type of article 81 is larger than the rotation radius 8r of the second type of article 82.

[0039] As Figure 3 shown, the article carrier V of the present embodiment includes an inventory sensor 5 that detects the presence or absence of the article 8 accommodated in the accommodating portion 2 (hereinafter sometimes referred to as "accommodated article 8"), and an article type detection unit S that detects the type of the article 8 held by the holding portion 41.

[0040] The inventory sensor 5 detects the presence or absence of the article 8 accommodated in the accommodation portion 2 regardless of the type of the article 8. In the present embodiment, the inventory sensor 5 is constituted by an optical sensor, and projects light so as to cross the arrangement area of the article 8 when the article 8 is arranged in the accommodation portion 2. As described above, the articles 8 to be transported by the article carrier V include various articles 8 having different sizes and shapes. The light projected by the inventory sensor 5 crosses the arrangement area common to all of the various articles 8. Specifically, the inventory sensor 5 is configured to project light to the periphery of the held portion 8g of the article 8 held by the holding portion 41 in the state where the article 8 is held by the holding portion 41 in the accommodation portion 2. The held portion 8g is a necessary portion for holding the article 8 by the holding portion 41 regardless of the type of the article 8. Therefore, the inventory sensor 5 is configured to project light to the periphery of the held portion 8g of the article 8, whereby the presence or absence of the article 8 held by the holding portion 41 can be appropriately detected regardless of the type of the article 8.

[0041] The inventory sensor 5 is provided such that at least a part thereof projects into the accommodation portion 2. In other words, the inventory sensor 5 is provided such that at least a part thereof is accommodated in the space covered by the cover 3. In the present embodiment, the inventory sensor 5 is mounted on the cover 3 and arranged in the accommodation portion 2. In the illustrated example, the inventory sensor 5 includes a light projecting portion 51 that projects light and a light receiving portion 52 that receives the light projected by the light projecting portion 51, and both the light projecting portion 51 and the light receiving portion 52 are provided so as to project into the accommodation portion 2. In the present embodiment, the light projecting portion 51 is mounted on one of the first cover portion 31 and the second cover portion 32 of the cover 3, and the light receiving portion 52 is mounted on the other of the first cover portion 31 and the second cover portion 32 of the cover 3. In the illustrated example, the light projecting portion 51 is mounted on the first cover portion 31, and the light receiving portion 52 is mounted on the second cover portion 32.

[0042] The article type detection unit S detects the type of the article 8 held by the holding portion 41. In other words, the article type detection unit S detects whether the article 8 held by the holding portion 41 is the first type of article 81, the second type of article 82, or another type of article 8 (for example, the Nth type of article).

[0043] In the present embodiment, the article type detection unit S is configured to detect the type of the article 8 in the state of being accommodated in the accommodation portion 2. That is, the article type detection unit S is configured to detect the type of the article 8 held by the holding portion 41 inside the accommodation portion 2. In this example, the article type detection unit S includes a side position detection sensor Sw that detects the position of the side surface 8s of the article 8 accommodated in the accommodation portion 2, and detects the type of the accommodated article 8 based on the detection result of the side position detection sensor Sw.

[0044] In the present embodiment, the side position detection sensor Sw detects the article width of the accommodated article 8 by detecting the position of the side surface 8s of the accommodated article 8. The side position detection sensor Sw is attached to the cover 3 and is disposed in the accommodation portion 2. In this example, the side position detection sensor Sw is attached to the first cover portion 31 or the second cover portion 32 of the cover 3. The side position detection sensor Sw is configured as a distance sensor and detects the distance to the side surface 8s of the article 8 disposed in the accommodation portion 2. Here, the holding portion 41 is disposed in the accommodation portion 2, and the horizontal center position of the article 8 held in the state of being held by the holding portion 41 ( Figure 4 the position indicated by the single-dot chain line passing through the held portion 8g) corresponds to the position of the holding portion 41 and is thus known. The side position detection sensor Sw detects the article width of the accommodated article 8 based on the distance from the side position detection sensor Sw to the side surface 8s of the accommodated article 8 and the center position of the accommodated article 8 in the horizontal direction. And based on the article width of the accommodated article 8 detected by the side position detection sensor Sw, it is possible to detect whether the accommodated article 8 is a first type of article 81 having an article width of the first width W1 or a second type of article 82 having an article width of the second width W2. In addition, the side position detection sensor Sw can also detect the article width of the accommodated article 8 other than the first type of article 81 and the second type of article 82. In addition, as the distance sensor constituting the side position detection sensor Sw, for example, a known sensor such as a laser sensor, an optical sensor, or an ultrasonic sensor can be used.

[0045] Next, with reference to Figure 5 , the control structure of the article carrier V will be described. In addition, Figure 5 is a control block diagram of the article handling equipment including the article carrier V.

[0046] In the present embodiment, the article handling equipment includes an upper control device Ct that manages the entire equipment, and the article carrier V includes a lower control device Cv that controls each part of the article carrier V. As described above, in the present embodiment, the lower control device Cv corresponds to the "control device". The upper control device Ct and the lower control device Cv are configured to be able to communicate with each other. The upper control device Ct and the lower control device Cv include, for example, a processor such as a microcomputer, and peripheral circuits such as a memory. And each function is realized by the cooperation of these hardware and the program executed on the processor such as a computer.

[0047] The upper control device Ct transmits the handling instruction of the article 8 to the lower control device Cv. In the present embodiment, the article carrier V is provided with an instruction acquisition unit 6 that acquires the handling instruction of the article 8 from the upper control device Ct. The instruction acquisition unit 6 that acquires the handling instruction from the upper control device Ct transmits the acquired handling instruction to the lower control device Cv, and the lower control device Cv controls the article carrier V according to the handling instruction to carry the article 8. The handling instruction acquired by the instruction acquisition unit 6 includes handling source information indicating the handling source of the article 8 of the handling instruction and handling destination information indicating the handling destination. That is, in this example, the upper control device Ct designates the handling source and the handling destination, and transmits the handling instruction for carrying the first type of article 81, the second type of article 82, or other articles 8 to the lower control device Cv via the instruction acquisition unit 6.

[0048] The lower control device Cv that has received the handling instruction controls the traveling mechanism 1 and the transfer mechanism 4 to carry and transfer the article 8 of the handling instruction. In the present embodiment, the lower control device Cv controls some or all of the traveling motor M1, the gripping motor M41, the lifting motor M42, the sliding motor M43, and the turning motor M44 to carry and transfer the article 8 of the handling instruction.

[0049] Here, as Figure 6 shown, the "transfer of the article 8" includes "picking up the article 8" and "unloading the article 8". That is, in the transfer operation performed by the transfer mechanism 4, it includes a picking-up operation of moving the article 8 from the transfer target part 9 to the inside of the accommodating part 2 and an unloading operation of moving the article 8 from the inside of the accommodating part 2 to the transfer target part 9 (also refer to Figure 1 ).

[0050] The picking-up operation of the article 8 based on the transfer mechanism 4 is performed as follows. The article carrier V travels on the movement path R without holding the article 8 by the holding part 41 and stops at a position corresponding to the transfer target part 9. At the transfer target part 9 (specifically, the support table 92 of the transfer target part 9), the article 8 that is the object of picking up by the article carrier V is arranged. The transfer mechanism 4 slides the holding part 41 from the inside of the accommodating part 2 to the outside by means of the sliding mechanism 43 and arranges it at a position directly above the article 8 on the transfer target part 9 (support table 92). After that, the transfer mechanism 4 lowers the holding part 41 to the height of the article 8 by means of the lifting mechanism 42 and holds the article 8 by the holding part 41. And, as Figure 6 shown in the upper figure of, the transfer mechanism 4 raises the holding part 41 holding the article 8 to the height of the accommodating part 2 by means of the lifting mechanism 42. After that, the transfer mechanism 4 slides the holding part 41 holding the article 8 from the outside of the accommodating part 2 to the inside by means of the sliding mechanism 43. The transfer mechanism 4 performs the picking-up operation of the article 8 in this way.

[0051] On the other hand, the unloading operation of the article 8 by the transfer mechanism 4 is performed as described below. The article carrier V travels on the movement path R while holding the article 8 by the holding portion 41 inside the accommodating portion 2, and stops at a position corresponding to the transfer target portion 9. And, as Figure 6 shown in the lower figure of, the transfer mechanism 4 slides the holding portion 41 holding the article 8 from the inside of the accommodating portion 2 to the outside by means of the sliding mechanism 43, and arranges it at a position directly above the transfer target portion 9 (specifically, the support table 92 of the transfer target portion 9). And the transfer mechanism 4 lowers the holding portion 41 holding the article 8 to the height of the transfer target portion 9 (support table 92) by means of the lifting mechanism 42, and places the article 8 on the transfer target portion 9 (support table 92). The transfer mechanism 4 performs the unloading operation of the article 8 in this way. In addition, after the lower-level control device Cv finishes the unloading operation of the article 8, in order to accommodate the holding portion 41 that does not hold the article 8 inside the accommodating portion 2, it controls the lifting mechanism 42 and the sliding mechanism 43.

[0052] The transfer mechanism 4 performs the picking-up operation and the unloading operation which are part of the transfer operation as described above. As described above, in the picking-up operation and the unloading operation, each mechanism constituting the transfer mechanism 4 operates respectively in a state where the holding portion 41 holds the article 8 or in a state where the holding portion 41 does not hold the article 8. Hereinafter, the sliding operation of the sliding mechanism 43 in a state where the holding portion 41 holds the article 8 is referred to as "holding sliding operation". That is, the "holding sliding operation" means sliding the holding portion 41 holding the article 8 or the article 8 held in the state of the holding portion 41 by means of the sliding mechanism 43. On the other hand, the sliding operation of the sliding mechanism 43 in a state where the holding portion 41 does not hold the article 8 is referred to as "non-holding sliding operation". Their definitions are for the convenience of distinguishing the sliding operations performed by the sliding mechanism 43 in each state where the holding portion 41 holds the article 8 and does not hold the article 8 in the description.

[0053] Here, as described above, the turning mechanism 44 changes the posture of the article 8 held by the holding portion 41 by turning the article 8, so that the article 8 faces an appropriate direction with respect to the transfer target portion 9. Such a posture change is usually performed directly above the transfer target portion 9 (support table 92) at the handling destination. The posture change is performed by the rotation operation of the turning mechanism 44, but by performing this rotation operation in parallel with the operations of the above-mentioned respective mechanisms, a plurality of operations are performed in the same period, so the efficiency of the operations can be achieved as the transfer mechanism 4. The article carrier V performs the posture change of the article 8 together with the holding sliding operation during the picking-up operation and the unloading operation if possible.

[0054] However, depending on the type of the article 8, there are cases where it is not preferable to change the posture of the article 8 in parallel with the holding sliding operation. This will be described below.

[0055] As Figure 7 shown, the movement locus of the first type of article 81 in the case of sliding the first type of article 81 by means of the sliding mechanism 43 without rotating it by means of the rotating mechanism 44 is set as the first sliding locus Ts1, and the movement locus of the first type of article 81 in the case of rotating the first type of article 81 by means of the rotating mechanism 44 and sliding it by means of the sliding mechanism 43 is set as the first rotational movement locus Tr1. The first type of article 81 is an article 8 in which the first sliding locus Ts1 does not overlap with the target member O provided in the accommodation portion 2 while the first rotational movement locus Tr1 overlaps with the target member O. That is, as Figure 7 (a) shows, when the first type of article 81 is not rotated by means of the rotating mechanism 44 but is slid by means of the sliding mechanism 43, it does not interfere with the target member O. On the other hand, as Figure 7 (b) shows, when the first type of article 81 is rotated by means of the rotating mechanism 44 and slid by means of the sliding mechanism 43, there is a possibility of interference with the target member O. Therefore, with respect to the first type of article 81, changing the posture of the article 8 together with maintaining the sliding operation is not preferable because there is a possibility of interference between the first type of article 81 and the target member O.

[0056] On the other hand, as Figure 8 shown, the movement locus of the second type of article 82 in the case of sliding the second type of article 82 by means of the sliding mechanism 43 without rotating it by means of the rotating mechanism 44 is set as the second sliding locus Ts2, and the movement locus of the second type of article 82 in the case of rotating the second type of article 82 by means of the rotating mechanism 44 and sliding it by means of the sliding mechanism 43 is set as the second rotational movement locus Tr2. The second type of article 82 is an article 8 in which neither the second sliding locus Ts2 nor the second rotational movement locus Tr2 overlaps with the target member O provided in the accommodation portion 2. That is, as Figure 8 (a) and (b) show, in both the case where the second type of article 82 is not rotated by means of the rotating mechanism 44 but is slid by means of the sliding mechanism 43 and the case where the second type of article 82 is rotated by means of the rotating mechanism 44 and slid by means of the sliding mechanism 43, it does not interfere with the target member O. Therefore, with respect to the second type of article 82, even if the posture of the article 8 is changed together with maintaining the sliding operation, there is no possibility of interference between the second type of article 82 and the target member O, or the possibility of interference is significantly low. Thus, interference between the article 8 and the target member O is avoided and a plurality of operations can be performed in the same period, so that the efficiency of the operation can be appropriately improved as the transfer mechanism 4.

[0057] In the present embodiment, the object component O provided in the accommodation portion 2 is the inventory sensor 5. As described above, the inventory sensor 5 is provided such that at least a part thereof protrudes into the accommodation portion 2. As Figure 7 shown, the inventory sensor 5 is provided at a position that does not overlap with the first sliding locus Ts1 but overlaps with the first rotational movement locus Tr1. On the other hand, as Figure 8 shown, the inventory sensor 5 is provided at a position that does not overlap with both the second sliding locus Ts2 and the second rotational movement locus Tr2.

[0058] In the article carrier V, the lower control device Cv is configured to determine the type of the article 8 held by the holding portion 41 and control the transfer mechanism 4 based on the determination. Specifically, the lower control device Cv determines whether the article 8 held by the holding portion 41 is the first type of article 81, the second type of article 82, or an article 8 other than these, and based on this determination, controls the sliding mechanism 43 (sliding motor M43) and the rotation mechanism 44 (rotation motor M44).

[0059] Moreover, when the lower control device Cv determines that the article 8 held by the holding portion 41 is the first type of article 81, it controls the transfer mechanism 4 such that the rotation action based on the rotation mechanism 44 and the sliding action based on the sliding mechanism 43 are performed in a manner that their action periods do not overlap. In the present embodiment, when the lower control device Cv determines that the article 8 held by the holding portion 41 is the first type of article 81, it controls the transfer mechanism 4 such that the rotation action is performed after the holding sliding action (sliding action) is completed, or controls the transfer mechanism 4 such that the holding sliding action (sliding action) is performed after the rotation action is completed.

[0060] In addition, when the lower control device Cv determines that the article 8 held by the holding portion 41 is the second type of article 82, it controls the transfer mechanism 4 such that the rotation action based on the rotation mechanism 44 and the sliding action based on the sliding mechanism 43 are performed in a manner that their action periods overlap. In the present embodiment, when the lower control device Cv determines that the article 8 held by the holding portion 41 is the second type of article 82, it controls the transfer mechanism 4 such that during the period from the start of the holding sliding action (sliding action) to the completion of the rotation action, or controls the transfer mechanism 4 such that during the period from the start of the rotation action to the completion of the holding sliding action (sliding action). In this example, when the lower control device Cv determines that the article 8 held by the holding portion 41 is the second type of article 82, the rotation mechanism 44 and the sliding mechanism 43 are driven simultaneously (see Figure 9 ).

[0061] In the present embodiment, as Figure 5As shown, the lower control device Cv is configured to obtain the detection result of the type of the article 8 based on the article type detection unit S. Based on the detection result of the article type detection unit S, the lower control device Cv determines whether the article 8 held in the holding unit 41 is the first type of article 81, the second type of article 82, or an article other than these. That is, in the present embodiment, when the type of the article 8 detected by the article type detection unit S is the first type of article 81, the lower control device Cv determines that the article 8 held in the holding unit 41 is the first type of article 81, and when the type of the article 8 detected by the article type detection unit S is the second type of article 82, the lower control device Cv determines that the article 8 held in the holding unit 41 is the second type of article 82.

[0062] Here, as described above, in the present embodiment, the article type detection unit S is configured to detect the type of the article 8 (accommodated article 8) in the state of being accommodated in the accommodation unit 2. That is, in this example, even if the article 8 is held by the holding unit 41, the type of the article 8 cannot be detected by the article type detection unit S when the article 8 is in a state outside the accommodation unit 2. In the state where the article 8 held by the holding unit 41 is outside the accommodation unit 2, for example, as shown in the upper figure of Figure 6 , it includes the state where the article 8 held by the holding unit 41 at the transfer target part 9 (refer to Figure 1 ) is accommodated inside the accommodation unit 2 during the picking-up operation based on the transfer mechanism 4. In such a state, the type of the article 8 cannot be detected by the article type detection unit S. The type of the article that can be detected by the article type detection unit S is after the picking-up operation is completed and the article 8 is accommodated in the accommodation unit 2. That is, before the picking-up operation is completed, the lower control device Cv cannot obtain the detection result of the article type detection unit S and cannot grasp whether the article 8 that is the object of the picking-up operation is the first type of article 81 or the second type of article 82.

[0063] Therefore, in the present embodiment, as shown in Figure 9 , when the lower control device Cv causes the transfer mechanism 4 to perform the picking-up operation, without determining the type of the article 8 (detection result: none), the rotation operation and the holding sliding operation (sliding operation) are performed in such a way that the operation periods of each other do not overlap. In this example, when the lower control device Cv causes the transfer mechanism 4 to perform the picking-up operation, after performing the holding sliding operation (sliding operation) to arrange the article 8 inside the accommodation unit 2, the rotation operation is performed in the state where the article 8 is arranged inside the accommodation unit 2. Thus, even if the article 8 that is the object of the picking-up operation and whose type has not been grasped is the first type of article 81, as shown in Figure 7As shown in (a), the first sliding locus Ts1 does not overlap with the object part O either. Therefore, the article 8 that moves by maintaining the sliding motion (sliding motion) can avoid interfering with the object part O. In addition, even when the article 8 that is the object of the picking-up motion is the second type of article 82, as Figure 8 shown in (a), the second sliding locus Ts2 does not overlap with the object part O. Therefore, the article 8 that moves by maintaining the sliding motion (sliding motion) can avoid interfering with the object part O.

[0064] On the other hand, before the transfer mechanism 4 performs the unloading operation, the article 8 that is the object of the unloading operation is accommodated in the accommodating part 2. Therefore, the type of the article 8 can be detected by the article type detection part S, and the lower-level control device Cv can grasp whether the article 8 that is the object of the unloading operation is the first type of article 81 or the second type of article 82.

[0065] Therefore, in the present embodiment, as Figure 9 shown, when the lower-level control device Cv causes the transfer mechanism 4 to perform the unloading operation, corresponding to the type of the article 8 detected by the article type detection part S, the rotation motion and the sliding motion are selected to be performed with their motion periods overlapping or not overlapping.

[0066] In the present embodiment, when the lower-level control device Cv causes the transfer mechanism 4 to perform the unloading operation, when it is determined that the article 8 that is the object of the unloading operation is the first type of article 81 (detection result: the first type of article), after performing the rotation motion in the state where the article 8 is disposed inside the accommodating part 2, the holding sliding motion (sliding motion) is performed, and the article 8 is disposed outside the accommodating part 2. Thus, the first sliding locus Ts1 does not overlap with the object part O ( Figure 7 (a)), so the article 8 that moves by maintaining the sliding motion (sliding motion) can avoid interfering with the object part O.

[0067] In addition, in the present embodiment, when the lower-level control device Cv causes the transfer mechanism 4 to perform the unloading operation, when it is determined that the article 8 that is the object of the unloading operation is the second type of article 82 (detection result: the second type of article), the rotation motion and the sliding motion are performed in such a way that their motion periods overlap. In this example, the turning mechanism 44 and the sliding mechanism 43 are driven simultaneously. The second turning movement locus Tr2 does not overlap with the object part O ( Figure 8 (b)), so the article 8 that moves by maintaining the sliding motion (sliding motion) can avoid interfering with the object part O, and since the holding sliding motion and the rotation motion can be performed at the same time, the efficiency of the operation of the transfer mechanism 4 can be achieved.

[0068] 〔Other Embodiments〕

[0069] Next, other embodiments of the article carrier will be described.

[0070] (1) In the above-described embodiment, an example in which the lower control device Cv determines whether the article 8 held in the holding unit 41 is the first type of article 81 or the second type of article 82 based on the detection result of the article type detection unit S has been described. However, the example is not limited to this. For example, the transfer instruction acquired by the instruction acquisition unit 6 (refer to Figure 5 ) includes article type information indicating the type of the article 8 of the transfer instruction, and the lower control device Cv may also, as Figure 10 shown, when the type of the article 8 indicated by the article type information acquired by the instruction acquisition unit 6 is the first type of article 81 (acquired information: first type of article), determine that the article 8 held in the holding unit 41 is the first type of article 81, and when the type of the article 8 indicated by the article type information acquired by the instruction acquisition unit 6 is the second type of article 82 (acquired information: second type of article), determine that the article 8 held in the holding unit 41 is the second type of article 82. When the lower control device Cv causes the transfer mechanism 4 to perform a picking action (refer to Figure 6 the above figure), when the type of the article 8 indicated by the article type information acquired by the instruction acquisition unit 6 is the first type of article 81, the lower control device Cv controls the transfer mechanism 4 so that the rotation action is performed after the holding slide action (slide action) is completed. On the other hand, when the lower control device Cv causes the transfer mechanism 4 to perform an unloading action (refer to Figure 6 the following figure), when the type of the article 8 indicated by the article type information acquired by the instruction acquisition unit 6 is the first type of article 81, the lower control device Cv controls the transfer mechanism 4 so that the holding slide action (slide action) is performed after the rotation action is completed. When the type of the article 8 indicated by the article type information acquired by the instruction acquisition unit 6 is the second type of article 82, the lower control device Cv drives the rotation mechanism 44 and the slide mechanism 43 simultaneously regardless of whether the transfer mechanism 4 performs a picking action or an unloading action.

[0071] In addition, as described above, the instruction acquisition unit 6 (refer to Figure 5)When the obtained transfer instruction includes the item type information indicating the type of the item 8 of the transfer instruction, the lower-level control device Cv can also determine whether the item 8 held in the holding unit 41 is the first type of item 81 or the second type of item 82 based on both the item type information obtained by the instruction acquisition unit 6 and the detection result detected by the item type detection unit S. However, in this case, the type of the item 8 is also determined based on the detection result of the item type detection unit S. As described above, when performing the picking action, the detection result of the item type detection unit S cannot be obtained before this action. Therefore, preferably, the determination of the type of the item 8 based on both the item type information obtained by the instruction acquisition unit 6 and the detection result detected by the item type detection unit S is performed during the unloading action. For example, as Figure 11 shown, when the type of the item 8 indicated by the item type information obtained by the instruction acquisition unit 6 of the lower-level control device Cv is the first type of item 81 (acquired information: the first type of item) and the type of the item 8 detected by the item type detection unit S is the first type of item 81 (detection result: the first type of item), it is determined that the item 8 held in the holding unit 41 is the first type of item 81. In this case, the lower-level control device Cv controls the transfer mechanism 4 so that the holding sliding action (sliding action) is performed after the rotation action is completed. In addition, when the type of the item 8 indicated by the item type information obtained by the instruction acquisition unit 6 of the lower-level control device Cv is the second type of item 82 (acquired information: the second type of item) and the type of the item 8 detected by the item type detection unit S is the second type of item (detection result: the second type of item), it is determined that the item 8 held in the holding unit 41 is the second type of item 82. In this case, the lower-level control device Cv drives the slewing mechanism 44 and the sliding mechanism 43 simultaneously. And when the type of the item 8 indicated by the item type information obtained by the instruction acquisition unit 6 and the type of the item 8 detected by the item type detection unit S are inconsistent, the lower-level control device Cv controls the transfer mechanism 4 so that the rotation action and the sliding action are performed in a manner that their action periods do not overlap. That is, as Figure 11 shown, when the detection result is the first type of item and the acquired information is the second type of item, and when the detection result is the second type of item and the acquired information is the first type of item, the lower-level control device Cv controls the transfer mechanism 4 so that the holding sliding action (sliding action) is performed after the rotation action is completed.

[0072] (2) In the above-described embodiment, an example is described in which the article type detection unit S is configured to detect the type of the article 8 (accommodated article 8) accommodated in the accommodation unit 2. However, the example is not limited to this, and the article type detection unit S may be configured to detect the type of the article 8 outside the accommodation unit 2 while being held by the holding unit 41. In this case, the article type detection unit S may be configured to detect the type of the article 8 held by the holding unit 41 by detecting the holding state of the article 8 based on the holding unit 41. For example, the article type detection unit S may be configured as a weight sensor and configured to detect the weight of the article 8 held by the holding unit 41. In this case, the article type detection unit S can detect the type of the article 8 held by the holding unit 41 based on different weights corresponding to the type of the article 8. In addition, the example is not limited to this. For example, depending on the type of the article 8, the shape of the held portion 8g held by the holding unit 41 is different, and the article type detection unit S may be configured to detect the shape of the held portion 8g that varies according to the type of the article 8, and detect the type of the article 8 held by the holding unit 41 based on the detection result.

[0073] (3) In the above-described embodiment, an example is described in which the article carrier V includes an inventory sensor 5 that detects the presence or absence of the article 8 accommodated in the accommodation unit 2 and an article type detection unit S that detects the type of the article 8 held by the holding unit 41. That is, in the above description, an example in which the inventory sensor 5 and the article type detection unit S are provided separately is described. However, the example is not limited to this. The inventory sensor 5 and the article type detection unit S may be constituted by one sensor. That is, the article type detection unit S may also serve as the inventory sensor 5, or vice versa.

[0074] (4) In the above-described embodiment, an example is described in which the target component O, which is a component that interferes with the article 8, is the inventory sensor 5. However, the example is not limited to this. For example, various components and parts such as the article type detection unit S, a fall prevention component (not shown) that restricts the fall of the article 8 during transportation, or a part of the cover 3 can be the target component O.

[0075] (5) In addition, the solutions disclosed in the above-described embodiments can also be combined and applied with the structures disclosed in other embodiments as long as there is no contradiction. Regarding other solutions, the embodiments disclosed in this specification are merely illustrative in all aspects. Therefore, various changes can be appropriately made without departing from the spirit of the present application.

[0076] 〔Summary of the above embodiment〕

[0077] Hereinafter, the article carrier described above will be described.

[0078] An article carrier moves along a moving path to carry various articles. It is characterized in that the direction of carrying the aforesaid articles along the aforesaid moving path is set as the carrying direction, and the direction that intersects when viewed in the up-and-down direction along the up-and-down direction relative to the aforesaid carrying direction is set as the intersecting direction. The aforesaid article carrier includes a storage part, a transfer mechanism, and a control device. The aforesaid storage part stores the aforesaid articles. The aforesaid transfer mechanism performs a transfer action of the aforesaid articles between the aforesaid transfer mechanism and a transfer target part located outside the aforesaid storage part. The aforesaid control device controls the aforesaid transfer mechanism. The aforesaid transfer mechanism includes a holding part for holding the aforesaid articles, a lifting mechanism for lifting the aforesaid holding part, a sliding mechanism for sliding the aforesaid holding part between the inside and the outside of the aforesaid storage part along the aforesaid intersecting direction, and a rotating mechanism for rotating the aforesaid holding part around the up-and-down axis. Among the aforesaid articles, there are at least two types, namely the first type of article and the second type of article. The movement locus of the first type of article when it slides by means of the aforesaid sliding mechanism without rotating by means of the aforesaid rotating mechanism is set as the first sliding locus. The movement locus of the first type of article when it rotates by means of the aforesaid rotating mechanism and slides by means of the aforesaid sliding mechanism is set as the first rotational movement locus. The movement locus of the second type of article when it slides by means of the aforesaid sliding mechanism without rotating by means of the aforesaid rotating mechanism is set as the second sliding locus. The movement locus of the second type of article when it rotates by means of the aforesaid rotating mechanism and slides by means of the aforesaid sliding mechanism is set as the second rotational movement locus. The first type of article is an article for which the first sliding locus does not overlap with the target part provided in the aforesaid storage part, while the first rotational movement locus overlaps with the aforesaid target part. The second type of article is an article for which the second sliding locus and the second rotational movement locus do not overlap with the aforesaid target part provided in the aforesaid storage part. When the aforesaid control device determines that the aforesaid article held by the aforesaid holding part is the first type of article, it controls the aforesaid transfer mechanism so that the rotational action based on the aforesaid rotating mechanism and the sliding action based on the aforesaid sliding mechanism are performed in a non-overlapping manner during their respective actions. When the aforesaid control device determines that the aforesaid article held by the aforesaid holding part is the second type of article, it controls the aforesaid transfer mechanism so that the aforesaid rotational action and the aforesaid sliding action are performed in an overlapping manner during their respective actions.

[0079] According to this solution, the first rotational movement trajectory of the first type of article overlaps with the target component provided in the accommodation part. Therefore, when the article held by the holding part is the first type of article, there is a possibility of interference between the first type of article and the target component when the rotational movement and the sliding movement are performed in such a way that their operation periods overlap with each other. However, according to this solution, the control device controls the transfer mechanism, and when it is determined that the article held by the holding part is the first type of article, the rotational movement and the sliding movement are performed in such a way that their operation periods do not overlap with each other. Since the first sliding trajectory of the first type of article does not overlap with the target component, the first type of article can perform the sliding movement without interfering with the target component, and the first type of article can be rotated at a position where the first type of article does not interfere with the target component, so interference between the first type of article and the target article can be avoided. On the other hand, the second rotational movement trajectory of the second type of article does not overlap with the target component provided in the accommodation part. According to this solution, when the article held by the holding part is the second type of article, the rotational movement and the sliding movement are performed in such a way that their operation periods overlap with each other. Thereby, the sliding movement and the rotational movement can be performed in parallel, so that the time required for the posture change operation of the article can be shortened and the operation can be made efficient.

[0080] In addition, according to this solution, the turning radius can be designed in cooperation with the second type of article smaller than the first type of article, the size of the article carrier, particularly the size of the space around the accommodation part. Therefore, compared with the case of designing them in cooperation with the first type of article, there is also an advantage that it is easy to miniaturize the article carrier.

[0081] As described above, according to this solution, in an article carrier capable of carrying multiple types of articles, it is possible to suppress the enlargement of the article carrier and achieve the efficiency of the operation corresponding to the types of articles.

[0082] Here, preferably, an article type detection unit is provided, and the article type detection unit detects the type of the article held by the holding part. When the type of the article detected by the article type detection unit is the first type of article, the control device determines that the article held by the holding part is the first type of article. When the type of the article detected by the article type detection unit is the second type of article, the control device determines that the article held by the holding part is the second type of article.

[0083] According to this solution, based on the detection result of the article type detection unit, it is possible to determine whether the article held by the holding part is the first type of article or the second type of article. Therefore, based on the result of directly detecting the article actually held by the holding part, the type of the article can be appropriately determined.

[0084] In addition, preferably, an instruction acquisition unit is provided. The instruction acquisition unit acquires a handling instruction for the article from an upper control device. The handling instruction acquired by the instruction acquisition unit includes article type information indicating the type of the article for which the handling instruction is issued. When the type of the article indicated in the article type information acquired by the instruction acquisition unit is the first type of article, the control device determines that the article held by the holding unit is the first type of article. When the type of the article indicated in the article type information acquired by the instruction acquisition unit is the second type of article, the control device determines that the article held by the holding unit is the second type of article.

[0085] According to this solution, it is possible to determine whether the article held by the holding unit is the first type of article or the second type of article based on the article type information included in the handling instruction transmitted from the upper control device. Therefore, it is possible to appropriately determine the type of the article without providing a sensor or the like for detecting the type of the article on the article carrier.

[0086] In addition, preferably, an instruction acquisition unit is provided. The instruction acquisition unit acquires a handling instruction for the article from an upper control device. The handling instruction acquired by the instruction acquisition unit includes article type information indicating the type of the article for which the handling instruction is issued. When the type of the article indicated in the article type information acquired by the instruction acquisition unit is the first type of article and the type of the article detected by the article type detection unit is the first type of article, the control device determines that the article held by the holding unit is the first type of article. When the type of the article indicated in the article type information acquired by the instruction acquisition unit is the second type of article and the type of the article detected by the article type detection unit is the second type of article, the control device determines that the article held by the holding unit is the second type of article. When the type of the article indicated by the article type information acquired by the instruction acquisition unit does not match the type of the article detected by the article type detection unit, the transfer mechanism is controlled so that the rotation operation and the sliding operation are performed in a non-overlapping manner during their respective operation periods.

[0087] According to this solution, it is possible to determine whether the article held by the holding unit is the first type of article or the second type of article by considering both the detection result of the article type detection unit and the article type information included in the handling instruction transmitted from the upper control device. Also, according to this solution, when the type of the article indicated in the article type information does not match the type of the article detected by the article type detection unit, the rotation operation and the sliding operation are performed in a non-overlapping manner, so it is possible to appropriately avoid interference between the article and the target component.

[0088] In addition, preferably, in the transfer operation performed by the aforementioned transfer mechanism, it includes a picking-up operation of moving the aforementioned article from the aforementioned transfer target part to the inside of the aforementioned accommodating part, and an unloading operation of moving the aforementioned article from the inside of the aforementioned accommodating part to the aforementioned transfer target part. The aforementioned article type detection unit is configured to detect the type of the aforementioned article in the state of being accommodated in the aforementioned accommodating part. When the aforementioned control device causes the aforementioned transfer mechanism to perform the aforementioned picking-up operation, it does not judge the type of the aforementioned article, and performs the aforementioned rotation operation and the aforementioned sliding operation in such a way that their operation periods do not overlap with each other. When causing the aforementioned transfer mechanism to perform the aforementioned unloading operation, corresponding to the type of the aforementioned article detected by the aforementioned article type detection unit, it is selected to perform the aforementioned rotation operation and the aforementioned sliding operation in such a way that their operation periods overlap with each other or in such a way that their operation periods do not overlap with each other.

[0089] According to this solution, the article type detection unit is configured to detect the type of the article in the state of being accommodated in the accommodating part. Therefore, before performing the picking-up operation, without obtaining the detection result of the article type detection unit, it is impossible to grasp whether the article that is the object of the picking-up operation is the first type of article or the second type of article. Therefore, when the control device causes the transfer mechanism to perform the picking-up operation and does not judge the type of the article, the rotation operation and the sliding operation are performed in such a way that their operation periods do not overlap with each other. Therefore, according to this solution, interference between the article and the target component can be appropriately avoided.

[0090] Industrial applicability

[0091] The technology of the present application can be used in an article carrier that moves along a moving path to carry various articles.

[0092] Explanation of reference numerals

[0093] V: Article carrier

[0094] 2: Accommodating part

[0095] 4: Transfer mechanism

[0096] 41: Holding part

[0097] 42: Lifting mechanism

[0098] 43: Sliding mechanism

[0099] 44: Rotary mechanism

[0100] 5: Inventory sensor

[0101] 6: Instruction acquisition unit

[0102] 8: Article

[0103] 81: First type of article

[0104] 82: The second article

[0105] 9: Transfer target part

[0106] Cv: Lower control device (control device)

[0107] Ct: Upper control device

[0108] O: Object part

[0109] S: Article type detection unit

[0110] Tr1: The first rotational movement trajectory

[0111] Tr2: The second rotational movement trajectory

[0112] Ts1: The first sliding trajectory

[0113] Ts2: The second sliding trajectory

[0114] R: Movement path

[0115] X: Conveying direction

[0116] Y: Crossing direction.

Claims

1. An article carrier moves along a moving path to carry various articles. The article carrier includes a storage section, a transfer mechanism, and a control device. The storage section stores the articles. The transfer mechanism performs a transfer operation of the articles between a transfer target portion located outside the storage section. The control device controls the transfer mechanism. It is characterized in that the direction of carrying the articles along the moving path is defined as the carrying direction, and the direction that intersects when viewed in the up-down direction perpendicular to the carrying direction is defined as the crossing direction. the transfer mechanism includes a holding section for holding the articles, a lifting mechanism for lifting and lowering the holding section, a sliding mechanism for sliding the holding section in the crossing direction between the inside and outside of the storage section, and a rotating mechanism for rotating the holding section around the up-down axis. at least two types of articles, a first type of article and a second type of article, are included in the articles. the moving trajectory of the first type of article when it slides by the sliding mechanism without being rotated by the rotating mechanism is defined as the first sliding trajectory, the moving trajectory of the first type of article when it slides by the sliding mechanism and is rotated by the rotating mechanism is defined as the first rotational movement trajectory, the moving trajectory of the second type of article when it slides by the sliding mechanism without being rotated by the rotating mechanism is defined as the second sliding trajectory, and the moving trajectory of the second type of article when it slides by the sliding mechanism and is rotated by the rotating mechanism is defined as the second rotational movement trajectory. the first type of article is an article for which the first sliding trajectory does not overlap with a target component provided in the storage section while the first rotational movement trajectory overlaps with the target component, and the second type of article is an article for which the second sliding trajectory and the second rotational movement trajectory do not overlap with the target component provided in the storage section. when the control device determines that the article held by the holding section is the first type of article, it controls the transfer mechanism so that the rotational movement based on the rotating mechanism and the sliding movement based on the sliding mechanism are performed in a non-overlapping manner in terms of their operation periods. when the control device determines that the article held by the holding section is the second type of article, it controls the transfer mechanism so that the rotational movement and the sliding movement are performed in an overlapping manner in terms of their operation periods.

2. The article carrier according to claim 1, characterized in that it includes an article type detection section that detects the type of the article held by the holding section. when the type of the article detected by the article type detection section is the first type of article, the control device determines that the article held by the holding section is the first type of article. when the type of the article detected by the article type detection section is the second type of article, the control device determines that the article held by the holding section is the second type of article.

3. The goods transporter according to claim 1, characterized in that it is provided with an instruction acquisition unit, and the instruction acquisition unit acquires the handling instruction of the aforesaid goods from the upper control device, the aforesaid handling instruction acquired by the instruction acquisition unit includes the goods type information indicating the type of the aforesaid goods of the handling instruction, when the type of the aforesaid goods indicated in the aforesaid goods type information acquired by the aforesaid control device is the aforesaid first type of goods, it is determined that the aforesaid goods held in the aforesaid holding unit is the aforesaid first type of goods, when the type of the aforesaid goods indicated in the aforesaid goods type information acquired by the instruction acquisition unit is the aforesaid second type of goods, it is determined that the aforesaid goods held in the aforesaid holding unit is the aforesaid second type of goods.

4. The goods transporter according to claim 2, characterized in that it is provided with an instruction acquisition unit, and the instruction acquisition unit acquires the handling instruction of the aforesaid goods from the upper control device, the aforesaid handling instruction acquired by the instruction acquisition unit includes the goods type information indicating the type of the aforesaid goods of the handling instruction, when the type of the aforesaid goods indicated in the aforesaid goods type information acquired by the aforesaid control device is the aforesaid first type of goods and the type of the aforesaid goods detected by the aforesaid goods type detection unit is the aforesaid first type of goods, it is determined that the aforesaid goods held in the aforesaid holding unit is the aforesaid first type of goods, when the type of the aforesaid goods indicated in the aforesaid goods type information acquired by the instruction acquisition unit is the aforesaid second type of goods and the type of the aforesaid goods detected by the aforesaid goods type detection unit is the aforesaid second type of goods, it is determined that the aforesaid goods held in the aforesaid holding unit is the aforesaid second type of goods, when the type of the aforesaid goods indicated by the aforesaid goods type information acquired by the instruction acquisition unit is inconsistent with the type of the aforesaid goods detected by the aforesaid goods type detection unit, the aforesaid transfer mechanism is controlled so that the aforesaid rotation operation and the aforesaid sliding operation are performed in a manner that their operation periods do not overlap.

5. The goods transporter according to claim 2, characterized in that in the aforesaid transfer operation performed by the aforesaid transfer mechanism, it includes a picking-up operation of moving the aforesaid goods from the aforesaid transfer target part to the inside of the aforesaid accommodating part, and an unloading operation of moving the aforesaid goods from the inside of the aforesaid accommodating part to the aforesaid transfer target part, the aforesaid goods type detection unit is configured to detect the type of the aforesaid goods in the state of being accommodated in the aforesaid accommodating part, when the aforesaid control device causes the aforesaid transfer mechanism to perform the aforesaid picking-up operation, it does not determine the type of the aforesaid goods, and the aforesaid rotation operation and the aforesaid sliding operation are performed in a manner that their operation periods do not overlap, when the aforesaid transfer mechanism is caused to perform the aforesaid unloading operation, corresponding to the type of the aforesaid goods detected by the aforesaid goods type detection unit, it is selected to perform the aforesaid rotation operation and the aforesaid sliding operation in a manner that their operation periods overlap or in a manner that their operation periods do not overlap.

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