Conveying system and method for controlling conveying system

Abstract

The invention relates to a conveying system and a control method of the conveying system. The invention provides a conveying system and a control method of the conveying system, which can restrain reduction of conveying efficiency of articles. The present invention is provided with: a rotary conveyor (50) that can rotate around a vertical axis, receives an article (F) from a first conveyor line (10) or a second conveyor line (20), and conveys the article (F) to a third conveyor line (30); and a controller (60) that rotates the rotary conveyor (50) about a vertical axis, switches between a first state in which the article (F) can be received from the first conveyor line (10) and a second state in which the article (F) can be received from the second conveyor line (20), and switches between a first state in which the article (F) can be received from the first conveyor line (10) and a second state in which the article (F) can be received from the second conveyor line (20) after the article (F) is conveyed by the rotary conveyor (50) to the third conveyor line (30). The rotary conveyor is made to stand by in the first state or the second state on the basis of actual result data (D) indicating which one of the first conveyor line and the second conveyor line receives the article.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to a conveying system and a control method of the conveying system. Background Art

[0002] A conveying system is known, which includes a first conveyor line, a second conveyor line, and a third conveyor line for conveying articles; a rotary conveyor that receives articles from the first conveyor line or the second conveyor line and transmits the articles to the third conveyor line; and a controller that controls the rotary conveyor (for example, refer to Patent Document 1). The controller operates so that if the rotary conveyor receives an article to be conveyed from the first conveyor line or the second conveyor line, it rotates about a vertical axis and transmits the article to the third conveyor line.

[0003] After receiving an article from one of the first conveyor line and the second conveyor line, it is necessary to rotate the rotary conveyor when receiving the next article from the other conveyor line. Sensors for detecting the conveyed articles are provided on each of the first conveyor line and the second conveyor line. Based on the detection result of the article by the sensor, the controller rotates the rotary conveyor in a state where the rotary conveyor is capable of receiving the article relative to the first conveyor line or the second conveyor line.

[0004] Patent Document 1: International Publication No. 2020 / 090323

[0005] In the conveying system of Patent Document 1, as described above, after the sensor detects the article conveyed in the first conveyor line or the second conveyor line, the rotary conveyor is rotated in a state where the article can be received from the first conveyor line or the second conveyor line. Therefore, for example, in a case where the distance from the position where the sensor detects the article to the rotary conveyor is short, or in a case where the conveyor speed of the article in the first conveyor line or the second conveyor line is fast, if the rotation of the rotary conveyor is started after waiting for the sensor to detect the article, the article is often temporarily stopped on the first conveyor line or the second conveyor line before the rotary conveyor reaches a state where the article can be received. As a result, the article is retained in the first conveyor line or the second conveyor line, which becomes a cause of reducing the conveying efficiency of the article. Summary of the invention

[0006] An object of the present invention is to provide a conveying system and a method for controlling the conveying system that can suppress a decrease in the efficiency of conveying articles.

[0007] The conveying system of an embodiment of the present invention comprises: a first conveyor line, a second conveyor line and a third conveyor line for conveying articles; a rotating conveyor capable of rotating around a vertical axis, receiving articles from the first conveyor line or the second conveyor line, and transmitting the articles to the third conveyor line; and a controller, which rotates the rotating conveyor around the vertical axis and switches between a first state in which it can receive articles from the first conveyor line and a second state in which it can receive articles from the second conveyor line. After the rotating conveyor transmits the articles to the third conveyor line, the controller makes the rotating conveyor stand by in the first state or the second state based on actual result data indicating from which of the first conveyor line and the second conveyor line the rotating conveyor received the articles.

[0008] A control method for a conveying system according to an embodiment of the present invention comprises: a first conveying line, a second conveying line and a third conveying line for conveying articles; and a rotating conveyor capable of rotating around a vertical axis, receiving articles from the first conveying line or the second conveying line, and conveying articles to the third conveying line. The control method comprises the following steps: after the rotating conveyor conveys the articles to the third conveyor line, based on actual result data indicating which of the first conveying line and the second conveying line the rotating conveyor has received the articles, placing the rotating conveyor on standby in a first state capable of receiving articles from the first conveying line or in a second state capable of receiving articles from the second conveying line.

[0009] According to the conveying system and the control method of the conveying system of the above-mentioned embodiment, the rotating conveyor stands by in the direction of the conveying line that is likely to be the receiving destination of the next article, so the article will not be stranded in the conveying line, and the conveyor time can be shortened by the rotation time. Thus, the reduction of the conveying efficiency of the conveying system can be suppressed.

[0010] In addition, in the conveying system of the above embodiment, the controller can also compare the number of times the rotary conveyor receives articles from the first conveyor line and the number of times the rotary conveyor receives articles from the second conveyor line based on actual result data to determine the conveyor line with more times between the first conveyor line and the second conveyor line, and put the rotary conveyor on standby in a state corresponding to the determined conveyor line. According to this embodiment, the conveyor line with a high probability of becoming the receiving destination of the next article can be predicted with high accuracy, and the reduction in the conveying efficiency of the conveying system can be suppressed.

[0011] In addition, in the conveying system of the above embodiment, the controller can also compare the number of times the rotary conveyor receives articles from the first conveyor line and the number of times the rotary conveyor receives articles from the second conveyor line in the most recent specified number of times or the number of times the rotary conveyor receives articles in a specified period. According to this embodiment, the standby state of the rotary conveyor can be changed according to changes in the conveyor status.

[0012] In addition, in the conveying system of the above embodiment, the controller may also determine the first conveying line or the second conveying line from which the rotary conveyor has received the object more than a predetermined number of times in a row, regardless of the number of times the rotary conveyor has received the object the predetermined number of times or within a predetermined period, when the rotary conveyor has received the object from either the first conveying line or the second conveying line more than a predetermined number of times in a row. According to this embodiment, the conveying line with a high probability of becoming the receiving destination of the next object can be predicted with high accuracy, and the reduction in the conveying efficiency of the conveying system can be further suppressed.

[0013] In addition, in the conveying system of the above embodiment, the setting may be changed a predetermined number of times or a predetermined period. According to this embodiment, the sensitivity to the change of the conveyor condition can be adjusted.

[0014] In addition, in the conveying system of the above embodiment, the controller may also include: a storage unit for storing actual result data, and when the rotary conveyor receives an article from the first conveyor line or the second conveyor line, information indicating which of the first conveyor line and the second conveyor line the article was received from is stored in the storage unit as actual result data in a time series for each article. According to this embodiment, actual result data can be collected in actual operation. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0015] Figure 1 It is a diagram showing an example of the transportation system according to the first embodiment.

[0016] Figure 2A It is a diagram showing a first state of the rotary conveyor.

[0017] Figure 2B It is a diagram showing the second state of the rotary conveyor.

[0018] Figure 3 It is a diagram for explaining the standby process according to the first embodiment.

[0019] Figure 4 It is a diagram showing the first reception frequency and the second reception frequency in the first embodiment.

[0020] Figure 5 This is a flowchart of a standby process in the control method of the transportation system according to the first embodiment.

[0021] Fig. 6A It is a diagram showing the operating state of the rotary conveyor according to the first embodiment.

[0022] Figure 6B It is a diagram showing the operating state of the rotary conveyor according to the first embodiment.

[0023] Fig. 7A It is a diagram showing the operating state of the rotary conveyor according to the first embodiment.

[0024] Figure 7B It is a diagram showing the operating state of the rotary conveyor according to the first embodiment.

[0025] Figure 8 It is a diagram showing an example of a transportation system according to the second embodiment.

[0026] Fig. 9 It is a diagram for explaining the standby process according to the second embodiment.

[0027] Fig.10 This is a flowchart of a standby process in the control method of the transportation system according to the second embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0028] The present invention is described below by way of embodiments, but the following embodiments do not limit the invention of the technical solution. In addition, all combinations of the features described in the embodiments are not necessary for the solution of the invention. In addition, in the drawings, the same or similar parts are sometimes marked with the same reference numerals, and repeated descriptions are omitted. In addition, in order to explain more clearly, the shapes, sizes, etc. of the components in the drawings are exaggerated, and the shapes, sizes, etc. are often different from the actual products.

[0029] [First embodiment]

[0030] Figure 1 FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of the transport system 1 according to the first embodiment. Figure 1 As shown, the conveying system 1 conveys a container storing an object to be conveyed (hereinafter referred to as "article F"). For example, the conveying system 1 moves the article F into a storage container, or moves the article F out of the storage container and conveys it to a processing device. Article F is, for example, a FOUP (Front Opening Unified Pod) that stores wafers to be processed in a semiconductor manufacturing device or a liquid crystal manufacturing device, or a reticle container that stores reticles used in a semiconductor manufacturing device or a liquid crystal manufacturing device. The above-mentioned processing device includes, for example, a device that performs various processes such as cleaning, ion implantation, heat treatment, photolithography, etching, film formation, and flattening on the wafer.

[0031] The conveyor system 1 is, for example, a HTC (High Throughput Conveyor) and includes a first conveyor line 10 , a second conveyor line 20 , a third conveyor line 30 , a detection unit 40 , a rotary conveyor 50 , and a controller 60 .

[0032] The first conveyor line 10 conveys the article F in a first direction. The first conveyor line 10 is configured so that the long side direction is parallel to the conveying direction, i.e., the first direction. A rotary conveyor 50 is connected to the downstream end of the first conveyor line 10. That is, the first conveyor line 10 conveys the article F in the first direction and finally conveys the article F to the rotary conveyor 50. In addition, the conveyance of the article F by the first conveyor line 10 may also be controlled by the controller 60, or may be controlled by a device other than the controller 60.

[0033] The second conveyor line 20 conveys the article F toward the second direction. The second conveyor line 20 is configured so that the long side direction is parallel to the conveying direction, i.e., the second direction. A rotary conveyor 50 is connected to the downstream end of the second conveyor line 20. That is, the second conveyor line 20 conveys the article F toward the second direction, and finally conveys the article F to the rotary conveyor 50. In addition, the conveyance of the article F by the second conveyor line 20 can be controlled by the controller 60, or can be controlled by a device other than the controller 60.

[0034] The third conveyor line 30 conveys the article F toward the second direction. The third conveyor line 30 is configured so that the long side direction is parallel to the conveying direction, i.e., the second direction. A rotary conveyor 50 is connected to the end on the upstream side of the third conveyor line 30. That is, the third conveyor line 30 receives the article F from the rotary conveyor 50 and conveys the received article F toward the second direction. In addition, the conveyance of the article F by the third conveyor line 30 can be controlled by the controller 60, or by a device other than the controller 60.

[0035] As described above, the first conveyor line 10 and the second conveyor line 20 convey articles F relative to the rotary conveyor 50 from different conveying directions. In addition, the third conveyor line 30 conveys the articles F from the rotary conveyor 50 to a third direction. In addition, each of the first conveyor line 10, the second conveyor line 20 and the third conveyor line 30 is composed of, for example, a plurality of unit conveying units arranged in series. The unit conveying unit may be, for example, a belt conveyor having an endless belt for conveying articles, a roller portion for winding the endless belt, and a driving portion for driving the roller portion. In addition, the unit conveying unit may be, for example, a roller conveyor in which a plurality of driving rollers are arranged. In the case where the first conveyor line 10, the second conveyor line 20 and the third conveyor line 30 are composed of a plurality of unit conveying units, the articles F are conveyed by transferring on the unit conveying units in sequence.

[0036] The detection unit 40 is provided at least in each of the first conveyor line 10 and the second conveyor line 20. The detection unit 40 provided in the first conveyor line 10 is sometimes referred to as the "detection unit 40A", and the detection unit 40 provided in the second conveyor line 20 is sometimes referred to as the "detection unit 40B". The detection unit 40A detects the article F flowing on the first conveyor line 10. The detection unit 40A is connected to the controller 60, and outputs the detection result to the controller 60. The detection unit 40B detects the article F flowing on the second conveyor line 20. The detection unit 40B is connected to the controller 60, and outputs the detection result to the controller 60.

[0037] For example, the detection unit 40 includes a first sensor 41 and a second sensor 42. The first sensor 41 is provided upstream of the second sensor 42. The first sensor 41 detects, for example, that the article F is conveyed by the rotary conveyor 50. The second sensor 42 is provided at a position corresponding to a waiting position of the article F entering the rotary conveyor 50.

[0038] The rotary conveyor 50 can rotate around a vertical axis. The rotary conveyor 50 receives the article F from the first conveyor line 10 or the second conveyor line 20, and transmits the article F to the third conveyor line 30. The rotary conveyor 50 may be, for example, a belt conveyor having an endless belt for conveying articles, a roller portion for winding the endless belt, and a driving portion for driving the roller portion. In addition, the rotary conveyor 50 may also be a roller conveyor in which a plurality of driving rollers are arranged. Figure 2A 1 is a diagram showing the first state of the rotary conveyor 50 . Figure 2B 2 is a diagram showing a second state of the rotary conveyor 50. When the rotary conveyor 50 is in the first state, it can receive the article F from the first conveyor line 10. When the rotary conveyor 50 is in the second state, it can receive the article F from the second conveyor line 20.

[0039] The first state is a state of the rotary conveyor 50 capable of receiving articles F from the first conveyor line 10. In the case of the first state, the orientation of the rotary conveyor 50 is a state of facing the first direction. The orientation of the rotary conveyor 50 is a direction in which the articles F flow in the rotary conveyor 50. The second state is a state of the rotary conveyor 50 capable of receiving articles F from the second conveyor line 20. In the case of the second state, the orientation of the rotary conveyor 50 is a state of facing the second direction. The articles F that have flowed on the first conveyor line 10 or the second conveyor line 20 can be conveyed to the third conveyor line 30 by the rotary conveyor 50.

[0040] The controller 60 may include, for example, an information processing device such as a computer. The controller 60 controls the operation of the rotary conveyor 50. The controller 60 may also control the operation of the first conveyor line 10, the second conveyor line 20, and the third conveyor line 30. The functional parts of the controller 60 of this embodiment will be described below.

[0041] The controller 60 includes a storage unit 61 and a control unit 62. The control unit 62 is implemented by, for example, a hardware processor such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) executing a program (software). In addition, part or all of the control unit 62 may be implemented by hardware (including circuitry) such as an LSI (Large Scale Integrated Circuit) or an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array), or a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit), or may be implemented by a combination of software and hardware.

[0042] The storage unit 61 is constituted by, for example, a HDD, a flash memory, an EEPROM (Electrically Erasable Programmable ReadOnly Memory), a ROM (Read Only Memory), or a RAM (Random Access Memory), etc. The above-mentioned program may also be stored in the storage unit 61 .

[0043] The control unit 62 rotates the rotary conveyor 50 around the vertical axis, and switches between a first state in which the article F can be received from the first conveyor line 10, and a second state in which the article F can be received from the second conveyor line 20. That is, after the control unit 62 transmits the article F to the third conveyor line 30, the control unit 62 puts the rotary conveyor 50 on standby in either the first state or the second state. At this time, the control unit 62 determines the state in which the rotary conveyor 50 is put on standby based on the actual result data D in the first state and the second state. In other words, the control unit 62 predicts the conveyor line (the first conveyor line 10 or the second conveyor line 20) that will convey the article F to the rotary conveyor 50 next time based on the actual result data D, and puts the rotary conveyor 50 on standby in a state in which the article F can be received from the predicted conveyor line. In addition, predicting the conveyor line in which the article F is conveyed to the rotary conveyor 50 includes predicting the direction in which the article F is conveyed.

[0044] The actual result data D is a time series data indicating which one of the first conveyor line 10 and the second conveyor line 20 the rotary conveyor 50 received the article F from in the past. The actual result data D is stored in the storage unit 61. For example, when the rotary conveyor 50 receives the article F from the first conveyor line 10 or the second conveyor line 20, the control unit 62 stores the information indicating which one of the first conveyor line 10 and the second conveyor line 20 the rotary conveyor 50 received the article F from as the actual result data D in the storage unit 61 in a time series for each article F. In addition, the actual result data D may be all the past data, or may be data from a specified period of time before the present, or may be only the data of the most recent specified number of times.

[0045] Below, use Figure 3 as well as Figure 4 An example of the standby process for determining the standby state of the rotary conveyor 50 based on the actual result data D will be described. Figure 3 It is a diagram for explaining the standby process according to the first embodiment. Figure 4 : is a diagram showing the first reception frequency and the second reception frequency of the first embodiment. Figure 3 as well as Figure 4 In the example of the actual result data D shown, as information indicating which of the first conveyor line 10 and the second conveyor line 20 the article F is received from, information indicating from which direction the article F is conveyed to the rotary conveyor 50 (hereinafter referred to as "direction information") is stored in the storage unit 61.

[0046] For example, when the direction information is "3", it indicates that the article is conveyed from the third direction to the rotary conveyor 50. In other words, when the direction information is "3", it indicates that the article F is conveyed from the first conveyor line 10 to the rotary conveyor 50. For example, when the direction information is "4", it indicates that the article F is conveyed from the fourth direction to the rotary conveyor 50. In other words, when the direction information is "4", it indicates that the article F is conveyed from the second conveyor line 20 to the rotary conveyor 50.

[0047] Based on the actual result data D, the control unit 62 calculates the number of times the rotary conveyor 50 receives the article F from the first conveyor line 10 (hereinafter referred to as the "first receiving number") C1, and the number of times the rotary conveyor 50 receives the article F from the second conveyor line 20 (hereinafter referred to as the "second receiving number") C2, among the most recent specified number of times N that the rotary conveyor 50 receives the article F. Figure 3 as well as Figure 4 In FIG. 1 , the case where the predetermined number of times N is “10” is exemplified. In addition, the predetermined number of times N may be set variably.

[0048] Here, when the rotary conveyor 50 receives the article F, the control unit 62 stores the direction information of the received article F as the actual result data D in the storage unit 61. Figure 3 In the example shown, if new direction information is added to the actual result data D of the most recent prescribed number of times N, the oldest direction information is deleted. In addition, the first reception number C1 and the second reception number C2 may not be the number of times in the most recent prescribed number of times N, but the number of times the rotary conveyor 50 has received the article F in the past period (prescribed period) after a prescribed time has passed from the present. The prescribed period may also be set and changed.

[0049] The control unit 62 determines the conveyor line with the largest number of acceptances between the first number of acceptances C1 and the second number of acceptances C2, and makes the rotary conveyor 50 standby in a state corresponding to the determined conveyor line with the largest number of acceptances, that is, in a state where the articles F are received from the conveyor line with the largest number of acceptances. For example, the control unit 62 makes the rotary conveyor 50 standby in the first state when the first conveyor line 10 has the largest number of acceptances, and makes the rotary conveyor 50 standby in the second state when the second conveyor line 20 has the largest number of acceptances.

[0050] Figure 4 For example, from Figure 3 The first acceptance number C1 and the second acceptance number C2 are obtained from the actual result data D shown. Figure 4 In the example shown, the first acceptance number C1 is 7 times, and the second acceptance number C2 is 3 times. Figure 3 as well as Figure 4 In the example shown, the first acceptance number C1 is greater than the second acceptance number C2, so the control unit 62 determines the first conveyor line 10, which has a greater acceptance number, between the first conveyor line 10 and the second conveyor line 20. In addition, the control unit 62 puts the rotary conveyor 50 on standby in a state where the article F can be accepted from the first conveyor line 10, that is, in the first state. In other words, the control unit 62 determines the direction with a greater acceptance number, that is, the third direction, among a plurality of directions (for example, the third direction and the fourth direction) in which the article F flows toward the rotary conveyor 50, and switches the direction of the rotary conveyor 50 so as to accept the article F from the third direction and puts it on standby.

[0051] Hereinafter, the flow of the standby process in the control method of the transportation system according to the first embodiment will be described. Figure 5 FIG. 6 and FIG. 7 are diagrams showing the operation state of the rotary conveyor 50 of the conveyor system 1. If the rotary conveyor 50 in the standby state in the first state or the second state receives an article F (step S101), the rotary conveyor 50 transfers the article F to the third conveyor line 30. For example, if the rotary conveyor 50 receives an article F from the first conveyor line 10 ( Fig. 6A ), the control unit 62 rotates the rotary conveyor 50 around the vertical axis ( Figure 6B Then, the control unit 62 conveys the article F to the third conveyor line 30 ( Fig. 7A ). In addition, although not shown, when the rotary conveyor 50 receives the article F from the second conveyor line 20, the control unit 62 does not rotate the rotary conveyor 50, but conveys the article F to the third conveyor line 30. Fig. 7A As shown, the direction of the second conveyor line 20, i.e., the fourth direction 4, and the direction of the third conveyor line 30, i.e., the second direction 2, are in a straight line, so the rotating conveyor 50 can convey the articles F received from the second conveyor line 20 to the third conveyor line 30 without rotating.

[0052] Here, if the rotating conveyor 50 receives the article F in step S101, the control unit 62 determines the conveyor line that conveys the article F (step S102). For example, the control unit 62 determines the conveyor line that conveys the article F based on the detection result of the detection unit 40. As an example, the control unit 62 may determine that the first conveyor line 10 conveys the article F when the detection unit 40A detects the article F. In addition, the control unit 62 may determine that the second conveyor line 20 conveys the article F when the detection unit 40B detects the article F. In addition, the step of determining the conveyor line that outputs the article F includes the step of determining the direction in which the article F is conveyed.

[0053] If the control unit 62 determines the conveyor line that conveys the article F, the control unit 62 stores the information indicating that the article F is accepted from the determined conveyor line as actual result data D in a time series for each article in the storage unit 61 (step S103). The control unit 62 calculates the first acceptance number C1 of the first conveyor line 10 and the second acceptance number C2 of the second conveyor line 20 based on the actual result data D stored in the storage unit 61 (step S104). The control unit 62 determines which of the first acceptance number C1 and the second acceptance number C2 is greater within a predetermined number of times or a predetermined period (step S105). If the control unit 62 determines that the first acceptance number C1 is greater than the second acceptance number C2, Fig. 7A The state shown causes the rotary conveyor 50 to rotate about the vertical axis, and Figure 7B As shown, the rotary conveyor 50 is placed on standby in the first state (step S106). On the other hand, when the control unit 62 determines that the second reception count C2 is greater than the first reception count C1, the rotary conveyor 50 is placed on standby in the second state (step S107).

[0054] The conveying system 1 of the first embodiment makes the rotary conveyor 50 standby in the first state or the second state based on the actual result data D indicating which of the first conveyor line 10 and the second conveyor line 20 the rotary conveyor 50 receives the article F from after the rotary conveyor 50 transfers the article F to the third conveyor line 30. According to such a structure, the situation where the rotary conveyor 50 starts rotating after the sensor such as the waiting detection unit 40 detects the article F can be reduced, the situation where the article F is retained in the first conveyor line 10 or the second conveyor line 20 can be reduced, and the reduction in the conveying efficiency of the article can be suppressed.

[0055] [Second embodiment]

[0056] A transportation system 1A according to the second embodiment will be described. Figure 8 FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of a transport system 1A according to the second embodiment. Figure 8 In the present invention, the same structures as those in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof will be omitted or simplified.

[0057] The conveying system 1A includes a first conveying line 10, a second conveying line 20, a third conveying line 30, a detection unit 40, a rotary conveyor 50, and a controller 60A. The controller 60A includes a storage unit 61 and a control unit 62A. The control unit 62A is implemented by executing a program (software) through a hardware processor such as a CPU. In addition, part or all of the control unit 62A can be implemented by hardware such as LSI or ASIC, FPGA, GPU, or by the combination of software and hardware.

[0058] The control unit 62A has the functions of the control unit 62 of the first embodiment. The control unit 62A can execute the standby processing of the first embodiment. Here, when the rotary conveyor 50 has received the article F from any one of the first conveyor line 10 and the second conveyor line 20 for more than a specified number of times M, the control unit 62A puts the rotary conveyor 50 on standby in a state where the article F can be received from the conveyor line that has conveyed the article F for more than the specified number of times M, regardless of the first acceptance number C1 and the second acceptance number C2. That is, the standby processing of the second embodiment is different from that of the first embodiment in that when the rotary conveyor 50 has received the article F for more than a specified number of times M, the rotary conveyor 50 is put on standby in a state where the article F is received from the conveyor line that has conveyed the article F for more than the specified number of times M, and the other processing is the same as that of the first embodiment. In addition, the specified number of times M can also be set and changed.

[0059] Below, use Fig. 9 An example of the standby process according to the second embodiment will be described. Fig. 9 FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining the standby process of the second embodiment. Fig. 9In the example of the actual result data D shown in FIG. 1 , the direction information is stored in the storage unit 61 as information indicating from which of the first conveyor line 10 and the second conveyor line 20 the article F was received. Fig. 9 , a case where the prescribed number M is "4" is illustrated.

[0060] The control unit 62A determines, based on the actual result data D, from which of the first conveyor line 10 and the second conveyor line 20 the rotary conveyor 50 has received the articles F continuously for a predetermined number of times M or more. Fig. 9 , it is shown that the rotary conveyor 50 has recently received the article F four times in a row from the fourth direction (the second conveyor line 20). Therefore, the control unit 62A makes the rotary conveyor 50 standby in the second state regardless of the magnitude relationship between the first reception number C1 and the second reception number C2. In other words, when the rotary conveyor 50 has received the article F from any one of the first conveyor line 10 and the second conveyor line 20 for more than a predetermined number of times M in a row, the control unit 62A determines that it is highly likely that the article F will be received from the same conveyor line next time, and makes the rotary conveyor 50 standby in the second state.

[0061] When the rotary conveyor 50 does not receive the article F from either the first conveyor line 10 or the second conveyor line 20 even for more than a predetermined number of times M, the control unit 62A determines the standby state of the rotary conveyor 50 by comparing the first acceptance number C1 and the second acceptance number C2, similar to the standby processing of the first embodiment.

[0062] Hereinafter, the flow of the standby process in the control method of the transportation system according to the second embodiment will be described. Fig.10 This is a flowchart of the standby process in the control method of the conveying system of the second embodiment. If the rotary conveyor 50 in the standby state in the first state or the second state receives the article F (step S201), the rotary conveyor 50 transfers the article F to the third conveyor line 30. Here, if the rotary conveyor 50 receives the article F in step S201, the control unit 62A determines the conveyor line that conveys the article F (step S202). Then, the control unit 62A stores the information indicating that the article F has been received from the determined conveyor line as the actual result data D for each article F in a time series in the storage unit 61 (step S203).

[0063] The control unit 62A determines whether the rotary conveyor 50 has received the articles F from the first conveyor line 10 for more than a predetermined number of times M based on the actual result data D stored in the storage unit 61 (step S204). In step S204, the control unit 62A refers to the actual result data D for a predetermined number of times M (i.e., the actual result data D for the most recent predetermined number of times M) that includes the actual result data D related to the article F received this time, to determine whether all the articles F have been received from the first conveyor line 10. When it is determined that the rotary conveyor 50 has received the articles F from the first conveyor line 10 for more than a predetermined number of times M, the control unit 62A rotates the rotary conveyor 50 around the vertical axis and places the rotary conveyor 50 on standby in the first state (step S205).

[0064] In step S204, when the control unit 62A determines that the rotary conveyor 50 has not received the article F from the first conveyor line 10 for more than the prescribed number of times M, the control unit 62A determines whether the rotary conveyor 50 has received the article F from the second conveyor line 20 for more than the prescribed number of times M based on the actual result data D stored in the storage unit 61 (step S206). In step S206, the control unit 62A refers to the actual result data D for the prescribed number of times M that includes the actual result data D related to the article F received this time (that is, the actual result data D for the most recent prescribed number of times M) to determine whether all the articles F have been received from the second conveyor line 20. When the control unit 62A determines that the rotary conveyor 50 has received the article F from the second conveyor line 20 for more than the prescribed number of times M, the control unit 62A puts the rotary conveyor 50 on standby in the second state (step S207).

[0065] In step S206, when the control unit 62A determines that the rotary conveyor 50 has not received the article F from the second conveyor line 20 for more than the specified number of times M in a row, the control unit 62A calculates the first acceptance number C1 of the first conveyor line 10 and the second acceptance number C2 of the second conveyor line 20 based on the actual result data D stored in the storage unit 61 (step S208). The control unit 62A determines which of the first acceptance number C1 and the second acceptance number C2 is greater within a predetermined number of times or a predetermined period (step S209). When the control unit 62A determines that the first acceptance number C1 is greater than the second acceptance number C2, the control unit 62A rotates the rotary conveyor 50 around the vertical axis and puts the rotary conveyor 50 on standby in the first state (step S210). On the other hand, when the control unit 62A determines that the second acceptance number C2 is greater than the first acceptance number C1, the control unit 62A puts the rotary conveyor 50 on standby in the second state (step S211).

[0066] The conveyance system 1A of the second embodiment further improves the conveyance efficiency by placing the rotary conveyor on standby in a state capable of receiving articles F from a conveyance line when the articles F are received continuously a predetermined number of times M or more from the conveyance line.

[0067] In the first embodiment or the second embodiment, when the first acceptance count C1 and the second acceptance count C2 are the same, the rotating conveyor 50 may be placed on standby in either the first state or the second state. When the first acceptance count C1 and the second acceptance count C2 are the same, the state in which the rotating conveyor 50 is placed on standby may be preset. For example, when the first acceptance count C1 and the second acceptance count C2 are the same, the rotating conveyor 50 may be placed on standby in a state in which the rotation angle from the third conveyor line 30 toward the first conveyor line 10 and the second conveyor line 20 becomes the direction of the smaller conveyor line. According to this structure, unnecessary rotation action can be suppressed.

[0068] For example, in Fig. 7A When the rotary conveyor 50 is in the first state, the rotation angle is 90°. Fig. 7A When the rotary conveyor 50 is moved to the second state, the rotation angle is 0°. Therefore, the control unit 62 may also make the rotary conveyor 50 standby in the second state in step S105 when the first reception number C1 and the second reception number C2 are the same. In addition, the control unit 62A may also make the rotary conveyor 50 standby in the second state in step S209 when the first reception number C1 and the second reception number C2 are the same.

[0069] Although the embodiments of the present invention are described above, the technical scope of the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and various changes can be made within the scope of the purpose of the present invention. In addition, it is self-evident for those skilled in the art that multiple changes or improvements can be added to the above embodiments. In addition, the form in which such changes or improvements are added is also included in the technical scope of the present invention. In addition, one or more of the elements described in the above embodiments, etc. can sometimes be omitted. In addition, the elements described in the above embodiments, etc. can be appropriately combined. In addition, the execution order of each step shown in this embodiment is not limited to using the results of the previous steps for the subsequent steps, and can be implemented in any order. In addition, for convenience, the actions of the above embodiments are described using "first", "second", "next", etc., but they are not necessarily implemented in this order. In addition, as long as the law allows, the disclosure of all documents cited in Japanese patent application, i.e., Japanese patent application 2022-107880 and the above embodiments, etc., is cited as part of the text.

[0070] In addition, this embodiment includes the following structures.

[0071] [Structure 1] A conveying system, comprising: a first conveyor line (10), a second conveyor line (20) and a third conveyor line (30) for conveying articles (F); a rotating conveyor (50) capable of rotating about a vertical axis and receiving articles (F) from the first conveyor line (10) or the second conveyor line (20) and transmitting the articles (F) to the third conveyor line (30); and a controller (60) for rotating the rotating conveyor (50) about the vertical axis and switching between a first state in which the articles (F) can be received from the first conveyor line (10) and a second state in which the articles (F) can be received from the second conveyor line (20). After the rotating conveyor (50) transmits the articles (F) to the third conveyor line (30), the controller (60) causes the rotating conveyor (50) to wait in the first state or the second state based on actual result data (D) indicating which of the first conveyor line (10) and the second conveyor line (20) the rotating conveyor (50) received the articles (F).

[0072] [Structure 2] A conveying system according to the above-mentioned structure 1, wherein the controller (60) compares the number of times the rotary conveyor (50) receives the article (F) from the first conveyor line (10) and the number of times the rotary conveyor (50) receives the article (F) from the second conveyor line (20) based on the actual result data (D), determines the conveyor line with the larger number of times between the first conveyor line (10) and the second conveyor line (20), and puts the rotary conveyor (50) into standby state in the first state and the second state corresponding to the determined conveyor line.

[0073] [Structure 3] A conveying system according to the above-mentioned structure 2, wherein the controller (60) compares the number of times the rotary conveyor (50) has received the article (F) most recently, or the number of times the rotary conveyor (50) has received the article (F) during a prescribed period, the number of times the article (F) has been received from the first conveyor line (10) and the number of times the article (F) has been received from the second conveyor line (20).

[0074] [Structure 4] A conveying system according to the above-mentioned Structure 3, wherein, when the rotary conveyor (50) receives articles (F) from either the first conveyor line (10) or the second conveyor line (20) for more than a specified number of consecutive times, the controller (60) determines the first conveyor line (10) or the second conveyor line (20) from which the rotary conveyor (50) has received articles (F) for more than a specified number of consecutive times, regardless of the number of times the rotary conveyor (50) has received the articles (F) for a specified number of times or within a specified period.

[0075] [Structure 5] A conveying system according to the above-mentioned Structure 3 or 4, wherein the setting can be changed a predetermined number of times.

[0076] [Structure 6] According to the conveying system described in the above-mentioned structure 3 or 4, wherein the setting can be changed during a specified period.

[0077] [Structure 7] A conveying system according to any one of the above-mentioned structures 1 to 6, wherein the controller (60) has a storage unit for storing actual result data (D), and when the rotating conveyor (50) receives an article (F) from the first conveyor line (10) or the second conveyor line (20), information indicating which of the first conveyor line (10) and the second conveyor line (20) the article (F) was received from is stored in the storage unit (61) as the actual result data (D) in a time series for each article (F).

[0078] Description of Reference Numerals

[0079] F…Items

[0080] D…actual result data

[0081] 1. 1A…Conveying system

[0082] 10…First conveyor line

[0083] 20…Second conveyor line

[0084] 30…The third conveyor line

[0085] 40…Detection Department

[0086] 50…Rotary conveyor

[0087] 60, 60A…Controller

[0088] 61…Storage unit.

Claims

1. A conveying system comprising: A first conveying line, a second conveying line and a third conveying line for conveying articles; a rotary conveyor capable of rotating about a vertical axis, receiving the articles from the first conveyor line or the second conveyor line, and conveying the articles to the third conveyor line; and a controller that rotates the rotary conveyor about a vertical axis to switch between a first state in which the article can be received from the first conveyor line and a second state in which the article can be received from the second conveyor line, After the rotary conveyor transfers the article to the third conveyor line, the controller makes the rotary conveyor stand by in the first state or the second state based on actual result data indicating from which of the first conveyor line and the second conveyor line the rotary conveyor received the article.

2. The delivery system according to claim 1, wherein: The controller determines the conveyor line with more times between the first conveyor line and the second conveyor line by comparing the number of times the rotary conveyor receives the articles from the first conveyor line and the number of times the rotary conveyor receives the articles from the second conveyor line based on the actual result data, and puts the rotary conveyor into standby state between the first state and the second state corresponding to the determined conveyor line.

3. The delivery system according to claim 2, wherein: The controller compares the number of times the rotary conveyor receives the object, the number of times the rotary conveyor receives the object most recently or the number of times the rotary conveyor receives the object within a specified period, the number of times the rotary conveyor receives the object from the first conveyor line and the number of times the rotary conveyor receives the object from the second conveyor line.

4. The delivery system according to claim 3, wherein: When the rotating conveyor has received the articles from either the first conveyor line or the second conveyor line for more than a specified number of times in a row, the controller determines the first conveyor line or the second conveyor line from which the rotating conveyor has received the articles for more than a specified number of times in a row, regardless of how many times the rotating conveyor has received the articles for the specified number of times or within the specified period.

5. The delivery system according to claim 3, wherein: The above-mentioned predetermined number of times can be set and changed.

6. The delivery system according to claim 3, wherein: The settings can be changed during the above specified period.

7. The delivery system according to claim 1, wherein: The controller comprises: a storage unit for storing the actual result data; when the rotary conveyor receives the article from the first conveyor line or the second conveyor line, information indicating from which of the first conveyor line and the second conveyor line the article was received is stored in the storage unit in a time series as the actual result data for each of the articles.

8. A control method for a conveying system, comprising: a first conveying line, a second conveying line, and a third conveying line for conveying articles; and a rotary conveyor, which can rotate about a vertical axis, receives the articles from the first conveying line or the second conveying line, and transmits the articles to the third conveying line, the control method comprising the following steps: After the rotating conveyor transmits the article to the third conveyor line, based on actual result data indicating from which of the first conveyor line and the second conveyor line the rotating conveyor has received the article, the rotating conveyor is placed on standby in a first state capable of receiving the article from the first conveyor line or in a second state capable of receiving the article from the second conveyor line.

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