Transport system and method for controlling transport carriage

Abstract

The invention provides a conveying system and a method for controlling a conveying trolley, wherein the conveying system and the conveying trolley can realize effective conveying. The conveyance system includes: a plurality of layers of storage racks for storing articles; a travel path provided on the storage rack; a transport trolley that travels along the travel path, and that transports the articles stored in the storage rack out, and transports other articles into the storage rack; lifting paths provided on both sides with respect to the center of the storage rack in the direction along the travel path, the lifting paths allowing the conveyance carriage to lift; an ascending path, which is provided on the outside of one of the lifting paths in the direction along the travel path of the storage rack, and on which the transport trolley ascends; and a descending path which is provided on the outer side of the other lifting path in the direction along the travel path of the storage rack and through which the transport trolley descends. The travel direction is defined for each floor of the storage rack such that the transport trolley travels on the travel path in either the direction from the ascending road side to the descending road side or the direction from the descending road side to the ascending road side.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to the control of an automatic handling robot in a warehouse. Background Art

[0002] In medium-sized or large-scale warehouses, an automatic transport system is used to automatically move items into or out of the warehouse. The automatic transport system is composed of a plurality of picking devices that move in the vertical direction and in the width direction relative to a storage rack having a storage portion with several layers of storage items to take out the stored items.

[0003] Patent documents 1 and 2 disclose large-scale storage racks that store items in container units. In large-scale warehouses such as Patent documents 1 and 2, a method is disclosed in which a robot moves vertically and horizontally along a track provided relative to the storage rack to take out items (containers) and put them into a storage section. In Patent document 1, the robot is raised and lowered along a track for moving in the vertical direction, and moves horizontally on each floor. In Patent document 2, tracks are provided on all surfaces of the frame constituting the storage rack that are opposite to the robot, and the robot can move freely vertically and horizontally through a mechanism that engages with the tracks.

[0004] Prior art literature

[0005] Patent Literature

[0006] Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent No. 7077349

[0007] Patent Document 2: Japanese Patent No. 6937022 Summary of the invention

[0008] Summary of the Invention

[0009] Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0010] As shown in Patent Document 1, when the vertical movement for lifting is limited to the two ends of the storage rack, the robots on each floor gather at the two ends for lifting, which increases the possibility of congestion and reduces the movement efficiency. In Patent Document 2, although the robot can move freely vertically and horizontally, the freedom is too high and the control becomes complicated.

[0011] The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a transport system and a method for controlling a transport vehicle that realize efficient transport.

[0012] Solutions to Solve Problems

[0013] The transport system of one embodiment of the present disclosure includes: a multi-layer storage rack that stores articles; a travel path, which is arranged on the storage rack, and a plurality of the storage racks are arranged opposite to each other in a manner of sandwiching the travel path; a transport trolley, which travels along the travel path, carries out the articles stored in the storage rack, and carries other articles into the storage rack; an elevating path, which is arranged on both sides relative to the center of the storage rack in the direction along the travel path, for the transport trolley to be raised and lowered; an ascending path, which is arranged on the outer side of the elevating path on one side in the direction along the travel path of the storage rack, for the transport trolley to be raised; and a descending path, which is arranged on the outer side of the elevating path along the direction of the travel path of the storage rack, for the transport trolley to be raised The outer side of the lifting path is arranged on the other side in the direction of the traveling path for the transport trolley to descend, wherein the travel direction is specified on each layer of the storage rack in such a manner that the transport trolley travels in either the direction from the ascending path side toward the descending path side on the traveling path, or in the direction from the descending path side toward the ascending path side on the traveling path. In at least one layer of the storage rack, the travel direction is specified in such a manner that the transport trolley travels in the direction from the descending path side toward the ascending path side, and the transport trolley is prohibited from entering from the lifting path to the ascending path, and is prohibited from entering from the descending path to the lifting path.

[0014] In the transport system disclosed in the present invention, the transport trolley travels in the one-way direction prescribed on each floor. In at least one floor, the transport trolley travels in the direction of returning from the descending road side on the opposite side of the ascending road to the ascending road side based on the storage rack. After the transport trolley ascends from the ascending road, it is prohibited to return to the ascending road from the lifting road, which is arranged on both sides relative to the center of the storage rack in the direction of travel along the travel road. That is, once the transport trolley ascends from the ascending road to any floor, it cannot use the ascending road in the ascending of the travel road to other floors. Similarly, the transport trolley that arrives at the descending road cannot use the descending road in the descending of the travel road to other floors. The transport trolley moves in and out articles while traveling in the one-way traffic in the storage rack.

[0015] In the previous one-way traffic, multiple trolleys entered the same mezzanine, and the waiting time increased due to the branching and merging of the ascending and descending paths, resulting in congestion. In the present invention, a ring structure based on the ascending and descending paths is used to carry out the transport in and out of the ring. Therefore, compared with the previous one-way traffic path, the frequency of the transport trolleys passing through the ascending and descending paths can be greatly reduced, and the congestion in specific parts (elevating parts) can be reduced.

[0016] In a transport system of one embodiment of the present disclosure, a correspondence is established between at least one of the layers whose travel direction is defined as being from the ascending road side toward the descending road side and at least one of the other layers whose travel direction is from the descending road side toward the ascending road side, and a circulation path is formed through the corresponding travel path of the one layer, the travel paths of the other layers, and the lifting and lowering paths.

[0017] In the transport system disclosed in the present invention, a layer capable of traveling from the ascending road side to the descending road side is at least associated with a layer capable of traveling from the descending road side to the ascending road side. The movement between the corresponding layers is a lifting path. A circulation path is formed by at least two corresponding layers and the lifting path. The transport trolley travels in a one-way manner in a circular manner in the storage rack.

[0018] In a transport system of one embodiment of the present disclosure, at least two correspondences are established between at least one of the layers whose travel direction is defined as being from the ascending road side toward the descending road side and other layers whose travel direction is from the descending road side toward the ascending road side, and a circulation path is formed through the corresponding travel path of the one layer, the travel paths of the two other layers, and the lifting and lowering paths.

[0019] In the transport system disclosed in the present invention, a layer whose travel direction is defined as a direction from the ascending road side to the descending road side is associated with at least two layers that can travel in the direction from the descending road side to the ascending road side. A circulation path is selectively formed by the corresponding at least three layers and the lifting road. The transport trolley travels in a one-way manner in the storage rack in a circular manner.

[0020] In a transport system of one embodiment of the present disclosure, at least one of the layers whose travel direction is specified as being from the ascending road side toward the descending road side is established in correspondence with at least one of the layers in the upper and lower layers whose travel direction is from the descending road side toward the ascending road side.

[0021] In the transport system disclosed in the present invention, the upper and lower layers of the layer whose travel direction is defined as the direction from the ascending road side to the descending road side respectively define the travel direction as the direction from the descending road side to the ascending road side. After the transport trolley travels from the ascending layer to the descending road side, it ascends and descends toward the upper layer or the lower layer in the ascending road, returns from the descending side to the ascending road side, ascends and descends in the ascending road on the ascending road side and returns to the ascended layer, and can travel in a circular manner.

[0022] In a transport system of one embodiment of the present disclosure, when the transport trolley visits a different floor as a target from the floor that has ascended in the ascending path, the transport trolley ascends or descends to other floors in the elevator path on the descending path side, and the transport trolley travels in the target floor in a direction from the descending path side toward the ascending path side, and the transport trolley returns to the floor that has ascended in the ascending path in the elevator path on the ascending path side, and the transport trolley travels toward the descending path in the floor after returning.

[0023] In the transport system disclosed in the present invention, the transport trolley traveling from the ascending path ascends from the descending path side and travels in the direction from the descending path side to the ascending path side when visiting other floors. In this way, the transport trolley realizes one-way passage in a circular manner.

[0024] In a transport system of one embodiment of the present disclosure, the transport cart travels on a transport path when storing items into the storage rack and taking other items out of the storage rack, wherein the other items are taken out after the items are moved into a storage section within a travel path that can access a layer where the items to be taken out are stored.

[0025] In the transport system disclosed herein, the transport vehicle travels on a transport path determined in the following manner: while traveling in a one-way manner in a circular manner, the transport vehicle receives items in accessible empty storage sections and carries out target items, thereby avoiding congestion and collision while traveling efficiently.

[0026] In a transport system of one embodiment of the present disclosure, the transport system also includes a control device for indicating a transport path to the transport cart, the control device receives a request for moving out an object to be moved in and a request for moving in an object to be moved in, and the control device determines a transport path including a storage section of a moving-in destination of the object to be moved in transported by the transport cart based on the move-out request and the move-in request.

[0027] In the transport system disclosed in the present invention, the control device determines the transport path based on the carry-out request and carry-in request issued to the system and instructs the transport cart. The control device can determine the path for carrying articles into an empty storage section that can be accessed before reaching the storage section containing the articles to be carried out.

[0028] The transport system of one embodiment of the present disclosure includes: a multi-layer storage rack that stores articles; a travel path, which is arranged on the storage rack, and a plurality of the storage racks are arranged opposite to each other in a manner of sandwiching the travel path; a transport trolley, which travels along the travel path, carries out the articles stored in the storage rack, and carries other articles into the storage rack; an elevating path, which is arranged on both sides relative to the center of the storage rack in the direction along the travel path, for the transport trolley to be raised and lowered; a descending path, which is arranged on the outer side of the elevating path on one side in the direction along the travel path of the storage rack, for the transport trolley to be lowered; and an ascending path, which is arranged along the direction of the storage rack The outer side of the lifting path is arranged on the other side in the direction of the traveling path for the transport trolley to ascend, wherein a travel direction is specified on each layer of the storage rack in such a manner that the transport trolley can travel in either a direction from the descending path side toward the ascending path side on the traveling path, or in a direction from the ascending path side toward the descending path side on the traveling path. In at least one layer of the storage rack, a travel direction is specified in such a manner that the transport trolley can travel in a direction from the ascending path side toward the descending path side, and the transport trolley is prohibited from entering from the lifting path to the descending path, and is prohibited from entering from the ascending path to the lifting path.

[0029] In the transport system disclosed in the present invention, the transport trolley may also access the upper part of the storage rack. For example, the storage rack is constructed underground and there is an operating area on the upper part. In this case, the transport trolley first enters any layer of the storage rack on the descending path, and rises when returning from the storage rack to the operating area. In this case, the transport trolley also travels in the direction of one-way traffic specified on each layer. In at least one layer, the transport trolley travels in the direction of returning from the ascending path side, which is the opposite side of the descending path used when initially entering the storage rack, to the descending path side.

[0030] A control method for a transport trolley in one embodiment of the present invention is processed by a computer in a transport system, wherein the transport system includes: multiple layers of storage racks that store articles; a travel path, which is arranged on the storage racks, and a plurality of the storage racks are arranged opposite to each other in a manner of sandwiching the travel path; a transport trolley that travels along the travel path, moves out the articles stored in the storage racks, and moves other articles into the storage racks; a lifting path, which is arranged on both sides relative to the center of the storage racks in the direction along the travel path, for the transport trolley to be lifted and lowered; an ascending path, which is arranged on the outer side of the lifting path on one side in the direction along the travel path of the storage rack, for the transport trolley to be lifted; and a descending path, which is arranged on the outer side of the lifting path on the other side in the direction along the travel path of the storage rack, for the transport trolley to be lowered, so that the transport trolley can be moved along the travel path. The travel direction is specified on each layer of the storage rack in such a manner that the transport trolley travels in a direction from the ascending road side toward the descending road side, or in a direction from the descending road side toward the ascending road side on the driving road. In at least one layer of the storage rack, the travel direction is specified in such a manner that the transport trolley travels in a direction from the descending road side toward the ascending road side, and the transport trolley is prohibited from entering the ascending road from the lifting road, and is prohibited from entering the lifting road from the descending road. The computer performs the following processing: determines the transport path of the transport trolley in the following order, namely: a layer that ascends in the ascending road, ascends and descends in the lifting road on the descending road side, ascends and descends in the lifting road on the ascending road side, a layer that specifies the travel direction toward the descending road, and moves to the descending road in the layer; and indicates the determined transport path to the transport trolley.

[0031] In the control method of the transport trolley disclosed in the present invention, the transport trolley travels in a manner according to the one-way travel direction specified on each floor by instructions from a computer. In at least one floor, the transport trolley travels in a direction as follows by instructions from a computer, which is a direction of returning from the descending road side on the opposite side of the ascending road to the ascending road side based on the storage rack. After the transport trolley rises from the ascending road, it is prohibited to return to the ascending road from the lifting road, which is arranged on both sides relative to the center of the storage rack in the direction of travel along the travel road. That is, once the transport trolley rises from the ascending road to any floor, it cannot use the ascending road in the ascending of the travel road to other floors. Similarly, the transport trolley that arrives at the descending road cannot use the descending road in the descending of the travel road to other floors. Through processing from a computer, the transport trolley travels in a one-way manner in a small ring shape in the storage rack, and moves articles in and out.

[0032] The control method of a transport trolley of one embodiment of the present invention is processed in a trolley travel system capable of three-dimensional travel, the trolley travel system is composed of a storage rack, a large compartment travel path, a small compartment travel path, and a lifting path, the storage rack can carry goods and is divided into multiple compartments, the large compartment travel path is connected to the ascending path for the trolley to ascend and the descending path for the trolley to descend in the travel paths corresponding to the compartments of the storage rack, the small compartment travel path is arranged in the compartment other than the large compartment travel path, the lifting path is arranged between the large compartment travel path and the descending path, or between the large compartment travel path and the ascending path, the following processing is performed in the trolley travel system: the trolley loaded with goods and entering the large compartment travel path from the ascending path is driven on the following path; and the moving direction of the trolley when moving between the compartments in the lifting path is limited to the ascending side or or any one of the descending sides, the path is: after unloading the load in the large-compartment traveling road, the large-compartment traveling road is loaded with goods and leads to the descending road; or, after unloading the load in the large-compartment traveling road, the small-compartment traveling road is entered from the large-compartment traveling road via the lifting road, and after loading the goods in the small-compartment traveling road, the path leads to the descending road from the large-compartment traveling road via the lifting road; or, after unloading the load in the small-compartment traveling road entered from the large-compartment traveling road via the lifting road, the goods are loaded on the small-compartment traveling road, and then the path leads to the descending road from the large-compartment traveling road via the lifting road; or, after unloading the load in the small-compartment traveling road entered from the large-compartment traveling road via the lifting road, the small-compartment traveling road enters from the small-compartment traveling road via the lifting road, and after loading the goods in the large-compartment traveling road, the path leads to the descending road.

[0033] Effects of the Invention

[0034] According to the present disclosure, congestion when the transport cart is raised or lowered relative to the storage rack can be avoided, thereby achieving efficient transport. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0035] Figure 1 This is a schematic perspective view showing the outline of the conveying system of the present disclosure.

[0036] Figure 2 It is a simplified top view of the handling system.

[0037] Figure 3 This is a block diagram showing the internal structure of the transport cart.

[0038] Figure 4 It is a block diagram showing the internal structure of the control device.

[0039] Figure 5 This is a flowchart showing an example of a processing procedure performed by the control device.

[0040] Figure 6 This is an explanatory diagram of an example of a stored carry-out request.

[0041] Figure 7 This is a flowchart showing an example of a conveyance route instruction procedure performed by the control device.

[0042] Figure 8 This is a flowchart showing an example of a procedure for determining a transport route for carrying out accompanied by carrying in.

[0043] Fig. 9 This is a flowchart showing an example of a processing procedure of the control device based on an instruction to complete the conveyance.

[0044] Fig.10 This is a diagram to explain the transport sequence.

[0045] Fig.11 This is another diagram illustrating the transport path.

[0046] Fig.12 This is another diagram illustrating the transport path.

[0047] Fig.13 This is another diagram illustrating the transport path.

[0048] Fig.14 This is a diagram for explaining a conventional method.

[0049] Fig.15 This is another diagram illustrating the transport path.

[0050] Fig.16 This is another diagram illustrating the transport path.

[0051] Fig.17 This is another diagram illustrating the transport path.

[0052] Fig.18 This is a schematic top view showing another example of a storage rack. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0053] The present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings showing embodiments of the present disclosure. In the following embodiments, a conveying system of the present disclosure will be described.

[0054] Figure 1 1 is a schematic perspective view showing an overview of the conveying system 100 of the present disclosure. Figure 2 FIG. 1 is a schematic top view of a transport system 100. The transport system 100 is installed in a warehouse for storing articles. Figure 1 The arrows in the figure indicate up, down, left, right, and front and back. Figure 1 and Figure 2The transport system 100 is shortened in the left and right directions.

[0055] The transport system 100 of the present disclosure includes a plurality of storage racks 10, a transport trolley 2, and a control device 3 (see Figure 3 The transport system 100 is a system in which a container 4 capable of storing articles is received by a transport trolley 2 in a work area in a warehouse and is moved into a storage rack 10, and a container 4 storing designated articles is taken out from the storage rack 10 by the transport trolley 2 and is transported to a work area.

[0056] The storage rack 10 is a rack that can store multiple containers 4 for loading articles in multiple layers in the vertical direction. Figure 1 The transporting trolley 2 for transferring the container 4 travels between the storage racks 10.

[0057] On both sides of the center of the storage rack 10 along the travel path, there are provided lifting paths 112 and 113 for the transport trolley 2 to be lifted and lowered. On the outside of the lifting paths 112 and 113, there are provided an ascending path 12 for the transport trolley 2 to be lifted and a descending path 13 for the transport trolley 2 to be lowered. The ascending path 12 is provided at Figure 1 The right side of the lifting path 112 when the direction along the travel path is the left and right direction. The descending path 13 is provided on the left side of the lifting path 113. A space is provided between the ascending path 12 and the lifting path 112, and between the descending path 13 and the lifting path 113, and this space is hereinafter referred to as a branch area 14.

[0058] The transporting cart 2 that can move the articles stored in the storage rack 10 configured in this manner in the up-down, left-right, or front-back directions can carry the container 4 out of or into each storage section 101 .

[0059] The transport vehicle 2 of the transport system 100 of the present disclosure moves as follows: Figure 1 As shown by the hollow arrows in FIG. 1 , this is achieved by driving in a one-way manner on the driving path provided on the storage rack 10 in the direction specified for each layer. The driving path in the branch area 14 is provided with a number of interlayers less than the number of layers of the storage rack 10. Figure 1 In the example of FIG. 1 , the storage rack 10 has 6 layers, whereas the branch area has 2 layers. The travel path is provided on each layer.

[0060] The transport trolley 2 has wheels and travels along a track or a travel path provided on each layer of the storage rack 10. The transport trolley 2 is between the storage racks 10. Figure 1The transport trolley 2 has a shelf for loading the container 4. The transport trolley 2 has a mechanism using a fork, which moves the container 4 from the shelf to the storage portion 101 of the storage rack 10 arranged opposite to the shelf, that is, Figure 1 The container 4 is moved from the storage section 101 to the shelf, or the storage section 101 is opposite to the storage section 101 in the front-rear direction.

[0061] The up and down movement of the travel path is performed by the ascending path 12 and the descending path 13, as well as the lifting paths 112 and 113. The lifting paths 112 and 113 can also be set on the frame of the storage rack 10. The ascending path 12 and the descending path 13, as well as the lifting paths 112 and 113 have lifting rails that can be engaged with the lifting wheels of the transport trolley 2 to enable lifting. In the ascending path 12, the transport trolley 2 is controlled to be able to only ascend, and the transport trolley 2 that has ascended in the ascending path 12 ascends to the interlayer indicated by the control device 3. In the lifting paths 112 and 113, the transport trolley 2 is controlled to only ascend or descend a specified number of floors, and in Figure 1 In the example, only one floor is ascended or descended. In the descending path 13, the transport trolley 2 is controlled to be able to descend only. The transport trolley 2 descends to the ground (GND layer) in the descending path 13. The transport trolley 2 that has descended to the ground travels on the ground and returns to the work area. It should be noted that the ascending path 12, the descending path 13, and the lifting paths 112 and 113 can also be elevators that are loaded with the transport trolley 2 and raised and lowered.

[0062] The left-right movement in the travel path higher than the ground is one-way in the travel direction specified for each floor. The same mezzanine (large mezzanine) as the branch area 14 that can be reached from the ascending path 12 can only move to the left side of the descending path 13. Other mezzanines (small mezzanines) can only move to the right from the descending path 13 side to the ascending path 12 side.

[0063] Furthermore, the transport cart 2 that has ascended the ascending path 12 and traveled to the storage rack 10 is prohibited from returning to the ascending path 12. The transport cart 2 that has moved to the descending path 13 is prohibited from moving toward the ascending path 12 side at that level.

[0064] The movement of the transport trolley 2 in the storage rack 10 that can travel in such a regular manner is performed as follows. The transport trolley 2 that reaches the branch area 14 in the ascending path 12 directly travels in a one-way manner in the left direction, and moves up and down in the ascending and descending path 113 on the side of the descending path 13 to the small compartment of the upper layer or the lower layer. The travel path of the small compartment of the upper layer of the large compartment and the lower layer is set to the opposite direction, that is, the direction of one-way travel in the right direction. The transport trolley 2 returns to Figure 1The transport trolley 2 returns to the large compartment and travels in a one-way manner in the left direction, and is lifted up one floor to the upper or lower floor in the lifting path 112 on the side of the ascending path 12 (right end), or moves to the descending path 13. The transport trolley 2 that has been lifted up one floor to the upper or lower floor again returns to the lifting path 112 on the side of the ascending path 12.

[0065] Each of the plurality of transport carts 2 can communicate with the control device 3 by wireless. The transport cart 2 receives instructions of the transport path from the control device 3. The transport cart 2 travels on the instructed transport path according to the one-way traffic and loop rules described above, and carries the container 4 into the instructed storage section 101 and carries the container 4 out of the instructed storage section 101.

[0066] The control device 3 can recognize the position of each of the plurality of transport vehicles 2 based on the notification of the position from each transport vehicle 2. The control device 3 instructs movement to the destination or the via-going storage unit 101 based on the recognized position.

[0067] In this way, Figure 1 and Figure 2 In the transport system 100 shown, the transport trolley 2 travels in a circular manner on a vertical plane in a one-way manner in the storage rack 10, and takes out and puts in the container 4. In the previous one-way passage, multiple trolleys enter the same compartment, and the waiting time increases due to the branching and confluence in the ascending and descending paths, which causes congestion. In the present invention, a ring structure based on the lifting paths 112 and 113 surrounding the compartment is used to carry in and out in the ring. Therefore, compared with the previous one-way passage, the frequency of the transport trolley 2 passing through the ascending path 12 and the descending path 13 can be greatly reduced, and the congestion in specific parts (lifting parts) can be reduced.

[0068] Next, details of the processing of the transport vehicle 2 and the control device 3 constituting the transport system 100 of the present disclosure will be described. Figure 3 2 is a block diagram showing the internal structure of the transport cart 2. The transport cart 2 includes a control unit 20, a wheel driving unit 21, a fork driving unit 22, a communication unit 23, a position detection unit 24, and a reading unit 25.

[0069] The control unit 20 is a microcontroller, and includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a memory, and an I / O. The control unit 20 controls the operation of the transport vehicle 2 based on a control program P2 stored in a built-in nonvolatile memory.

[0070] The wheel driving unit 21 includes a motor that drives the traveling wheels and the lifting wheels of the transport cart 2. The wheel driving unit 21 controls the output of the motor based on the control signal output from the control unit 20. The fork driving unit 22 drives the fork for taking out and putting in the container 4 based on the control signal output from the control unit 20.

[0071] The communication unit 23 is a wireless communication device. The communication unit 23 implements short-range wireless communication such as Bluetooth (registered trademark). The communication unit 23 may also be a device that implements a wireless LAN (Local Area Network). The control unit 20 can establish a correspondence between the position detected by the position detection unit 24 and the transport trolley identification data that identifies the machine and send it to the control device 3 through the communication unit 23. The control unit 20 receives an instruction on the transport path from the control device 3 through the communication unit. The communication unit 23 may also be installed as a part of the control unit 20.

[0072] The position detection unit 24 detects the position of the transport trolley 2 in the storage rack 10. In one example, the position detection unit 24 uses a camera to read the address code (text, barcode, QR code, etc.) attached to each part of the frame of the storage rack 10. In another example, the position detection unit 24 is a short-range wireless communication reader to read the identification data (address code) of the label attached to each part of the frame of the storage rack 10. In another example, the position detection unit 24 can also be a receiver of a specified radio wave to determine the position of the transport trolley 2 based on the strength of the radio wave. In another example, the position detection unit 24 can also be a GPS receiver.

[0073] The reading unit 25 reads the container identification data of the container 4 placed on the shelf. The reading unit 25 may read the container identification data from the tags attached to the containers 4, for example, using a short-range wireless communication reader. In another example, the reading unit 25 may use a camera to read the container identification data from a barcode or a two-dimensional code attached to the container 4. It should be noted that the reading unit 25 is not essential, and which container is placed on which transport cart 2 may be input from a terminal in the work area.

[0074] Figure 4 : is a block diagram showing the internal structure of the control device 3. The control device 3 is a central device that can communicate with multiple transport carts 2 by wireless and control the operation of each transport cart 2. The control device 3 uses a server computer or a personal computer to control each transport cart 2. The control device 3 can also control each transport cart 2 according to a program stored using a PLC (Programmable Logic Controller).

[0075] The control device 3 includes a processing unit 30 , a storage unit 31 , an input / output unit 32 , and a communication unit 33 . The processing unit 30 uses a CPU or a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit). The processing unit 30 executes processing based on a control program (program product) P3 stored in the storage unit 31 .

[0076] The storage unit 31 is a non-volatile storage medium such as a hard disk, an SSD (Solid State Drive) or a flash memory. In addition to the control program P3, the storage unit 31 also stores setting data and the like referenced by the processing unit 30. The control program P3 may also be a program that the processing unit 30 reads out a control program (program product) P9 stored in the storage medium 9 that can be read from a computer and stores in the storage unit 31.

[0077] The setting data stored in the storage unit 31 includes transport vehicle identification data for identifying the transport vehicle 2, storage unit identification data for identifying the storage unit 101 of the storage rack 10, and container identification data for identifying the container 4. The setting data may also include article identification data of articles stored in the container 4.

[0078] The storage unit identification data is stored in a manner that corresponds to the map and can determine which path the transport vehicle 2 can use to access each storage unit 101. The storage unit identification data is a number corresponding to the actual arrangement of the storage units 101, thereby also identifying the arrangement. The storage unit identification data can also be arranged according to the order in which the storage units can be accessed in the above-mentioned one-way driving path. Details will be described later.

[0079] In order to identify the container 4 stored in the storage unit 101, the storage unit 31 stores a database 310 storing the correspondence between the storage unit identification data and the container identification data, and updates it every time the container is moved in or out. The database 310 of the storage unit 31 stores the correspondence between the container identification data and the item identification data of the contents of the container, and can also accept a request for moving out through the item identification data.

[0080] The input / output unit 32 is an interface connected to the controller of the work area. The processing unit 30 receives a request for unloading from the controller of the work area through the input / output unit 32 and stores it in the database 310. The request for unloading includes container identification data of the container to be unloaded and data indicating the location of the transport destination.

[0081] The communication unit 33 is a wireless communication device. The communication unit 33 receives data from the transport cart 2 through short-distance wireless communication such as Bluetooth (registered trademark), and transmits the transport route to the transport cart 2. The communication unit 33 may also be a device that realizes a wireless LAN.

[0082] The control performed by the transport system 100 configured in this manner will be described with reference to a flowchart. Figure 5 1 is a flowchart showing an example of a processing sequence performed by the control device 3. The processing unit 30 of the control device 3 continuously executes Figure 5 The processing order shown.

[0083] When the processing unit 30 of the control device 3 receives a carry-out request via the input / output unit 32 (step S101), the identification number of the received carry-out request and the content of the request are stored in the database 310 as an unprocessed carry-out request (step S102). The processing unit 30 specifies the storage unit identification data of the storage unit 101 that stores the container identified by the container identification data included in the carry-out request (step S103).

[0084] The processing unit 30 stores the determined storage unit identification data in association with the identification number of the carry-out request (step S104 ), and ends the processing.

[0085] Figure 6 is an illustration of an example of a stored move-out request. Figure 6 In the example shown, the container identification number, the storage unit identification data, and the status data are stored in correspondence with the request identification number. Figure 6 In the example, the container identification number "00034567", the storage unit identification data "01020304" of the storage unit 101 storing the container, and "unprocessed" as the status data are stored in correspondence with the request identification number "000123". The storage unit identification data "01020304" indicates, for example, the storage unit 101 on the third floor from the bottom and the fourth storage unit 101 from the ascending path 12 side in the storage rack 10 on the rear side of the set of storage racks 10 arranged opposite to each other (see Fig.10 ). Similarly, a carry-out request "000124" from the storage section 101 is also stored. The storage section 101 is the third storage section from the ascending path 12 side and the fourth layer from the bottom of the rear storage rack 10 in a group of storage racks 10 arranged opposite to each other.

[0086] for Figure 6As shown in the figure, a move-out request from the storage rack 10 is registered in the control device 3 from the operation area. For example, in the operation area, if the container 4 to be moved (stored) to the storage rack 10 is loaded on the transport trolley 2, the container identification data of the container 4 loaded on the shelf of the transport trolley 2 is read. The transport trolley 2 sends a move-in request including the read container identification data and the transport trolley identification data of the transport trolley 2 itself to the control device 3. Alternatively, in the operation area, an operator may load the container 4 on the transport trolley 2, and the operator may identify the transport trolley identification data of the transport trolley 2 and the container identification data of the loaded container, or the transport trolley identification data of the transport trolley 2 and the container identification data of the loaded container may be read by a terminal device in the operation area, and a move-in request including these data may be sent to the control device 3. The move-in request sent to the control device 3 is sequentially associated with the status data and stored in the database 310 of the control device 3 so that it can be identified as an unprocessed request.

[0087] In the work area, if the operator places the transport trolley 2 on the ascending path 12, the transport trolley 2 notifies the control device 3 of the storage (the start of loading and unloading). Alternatively, an input device for the container identification data of the transport trolley 2 that is being raised and the container 4 loaded on the transport trolley 2 may be provided in the ascending path 112, and the operator may input these data and notify the control device 3 of the storage. In addition, the transport trolley 2 may automatically travel to the ascending path 12 and automatically notify the storage on the ascending path 12. If the storage on the ascending path 12 is notified, the transport path is indicated to the transport trolley 2 from the control device 3.

[0088] Figure 7 2 is a flowchart showing an example of a conveyance route instruction procedure by the control device 3. The control device 3 executes the following processing for each group of storage racks 10 arranged facing each other.

[0089] The processing unit 30 of the control device 3 receives a notification of the entry of the transport trolley 2 from the transport trolley 2, the input device of the ascending path 12, or the terminal device of the work area (step S201). The processing unit 30 determines the transport trolley identification data of the transport trolley 2 entering the warehouse (step S202), establishes a correspondence between the transport trolley 2 in the warehouse and the transport trolley identification data, and stores them in the database 310 (step S203).

[0090] The processing unit 30 determines whether the carry-in request associated with the transport vehicle identification data specified in step S202 is stored in the storage unit 31 (step S204).

[0091] If it is determined that the storage unit 31 stores the container 4 to be stored (S204: Yes), the transport cart 2 that has entered the warehouse should have a container 4 to be stored, and a carry-in request is sent to the control device 3. Therefore, the processing unit 30 determines the container identification data of the container 4 to be stored included in the carry-in request (step S205). The processing unit 30 updates the status data of the carry-in request so that it indicates that the container 4 is being transported (step S206).

[0092] The processing unit 30 preferentially extracts, from the list of unprocessed moving-out requests, moving-out requests for containers 4 stored in the storage rack 10 corresponding to the ascending path 12 on which the target transport trolley 2 ascends (step S207). The processing unit 30 selects one from the extracted moving-out requests (step S208), and updates the moving-out request with state data indicating that it is being moved out (step S209). There are multiple variations of the algorithms for the extraction in step S207 and the selection in step S208, which will be described in detail later.

[0093] The processing unit 30 performs processing for determining a transport path for carrying out accompanied by carrying in based on the storage unit identification data included in the carrying out request based on the one-way traffic rule (step S210). The processing unit 30 sends an instruction of the determined transport path to the transport vehicle 2 (step S211), and ends the instruction processing.

[0094] If it is determined in step S204 that the container 4 is not stored in the storage unit 31 (S204: No), the transport cart 2 that has entered the warehouse is not loaded with the container 4, but is entered into the warehouse only for unloading. Therefore, the processing unit 30 preferentially extracts, from the list of unprocessed unloading requests, a unloading request for unloading the container 4 stored in the storage rack 10 corresponding to the ascending path 12 on which the target transport cart 2 ascends (step S212). The processing unit 30 selects one of the extracted unloading requests (step S213), and updates the unloading request with the status data indicating that the unloading is in progress (step S214).

[0095] The processing unit 30 determines a transport route for accessing the storage unit 101 of the storage unit identification data included in the carry-out request (step S215), sends an instruction of the transport route including the carry-out process in the storage unit 101 to the transport vehicle 2 (step S216), and ends the process.

[0096] In step S215, the processing unit 30 determines the transport path including "rising in the mezzanine in the ascending path 12" and "rising or descending in the lifting path 113 on the side of the descending path 13" for accessing the storage unit 101 based on the one-way traffic rule. The processing unit 30 then instructs the transport path in the order of "position of the storage unit 101 of the object to be transported in", "moving out of the storage unit 101", "rising or descending in the lifting path 112 on the side of the ascending path 12", and "moving to the descending path 13".

[0097] Figure 8 This is a flowchart showing an example of a procedure for determining a transport route for carrying out accompanied by carrying in. Figure 8 The processing sequence shown in the flowchart is Figure 7 The details of the processing procedure of step S210 in the flowchart correspond to the above.

[0098] The processing unit 30 determines a mezzanine for accessing the storage unit 101 of the object to be transported, which is identified by the storage unit identification data included in the transport request (step S301). In step S301, the processing unit 30 determines based on a large mezzanine that is the same as the branch area 14 or a mezzanine that is equal to the ground (hereinafter referred to as a GND layer).

[0099] The processing unit 30 determines whether the compartment determined in step S301 is a large compartment other than the GND layer (step S302). When it is determined that the compartment is a large compartment (S302: Yes), the processing unit 30 determines an empty storage unit that can be accessed from the travel path of the layer corresponding to the large compartment (step S303). The processing unit stores the container identification data of the container to be loaded in a corresponding relationship with the storage unit identification data of the determined storage unit 101 (step S304) to ensure the storage destination.

[0100] The processing unit 30 determines the transport path (step S305) in the order of moving to the large compartment determined in step S301, moving to the storage unit 101 of the storage unit identification data determined in step S303, moving to the storage unit 101 of the storage unit identification data included in the move-in and move-out request, moving out, and moving to the descending path 13, and sends the processing to the Figure 7 Step S211 in the flowchart returns.

[0101] In step S302, when it is determined that the interlayer is a GND layer (S302: No), the processing unit 30 determines an empty storage section 101 in the storage rack 10 in the same group (step S306). The container identification data of the scheduled loading container 4 and the storage section identification data of the determined storage section 101 are stored in a corresponding relationship (step S307) to ensure the storage destination.

[0102] The processing unit 30 determines a large compartment for accessing the determined storage unit 101 (step S308). The processing unit 30 determines a transport path in the order of moving to the determined large compartment, moving to the storage unit 101 of the storage unit identification data determined in step S306, moving in, moving to the descending path 13, moving to the storage unit 101 of the storage unit identification data included in the move-out request, and moving out (step S309), and sends the processing to the storage unit 101. Figure 7 Step S211 in the flowchart returns.

[0103] It should be noted that if Figure 1 As shown, when there is no storage section 101 on the GND layer of the storage rack 10, the determination in step S302 is always "yes", and the processing unit 30 determines the transport path in step S305.

[0104] When the transport vehicle 2 stores the container 4 of the shelf in the empty storage section 101 and carries out the container 4 that is the target of the carry-out request according to the instruction from the control device 3, the following processing is executed. Fig. 9 2 is a flowchart showing an example of a processing procedure of the control device 3 when the transport is completed based on an instruction. The control device 3 executes the following processing for each transport vehicle 2 that has been stored.

[0105] The processing unit 30 of the control device 3 establishes a correspondence relationship between the container identification data of the transported container 4 and the storage unit identification data of the storage unit 101 of the storage destination and stores them (step S401). The processing unit 30 establishes a correspondence relationship between the transport request and the data indicating the completion of the transport, updates it, or deletes the transport request, and processes it as the completion of the transport (step S402), and deletes the correspondence between the transport vehicle identification data of the transport vehicle 2 and the container identification data of the container to be transported in the database 310 (step S403).

[0106] When the transport cart 2 that has entered the warehouse is not being carried in (when the shelf is empty), the processing of steps S401 to S403 is omitted.

[0107] At the time point when the unloading process is completed, the processing unit 30 of the control device 3 deletes the container identification data that has established a corresponding relationship with the storage unit identification data of the storage unit 101 that accommodates the unloaded container (step S404). The processing unit 30 establishes a corresponding relationship between the container identification data and the transport trolley identification data of the transport trolley 2 for transport and stores it in the database 310 (step S405). The processing unit 30 establishes a corresponding relationship between the corresponding unloading request and the data indicating the completion of unloading, and updates or deletes the unloading request, thereby processing as unloading completion (step S406).

[0108] When the processing unit 30 detects that the target transport vehicle 2 has carried out the target container 4 to the work area (step S407), it deletes the correspondence between the transport vehicle identification data and the container identification data (step S408) and ends the processing. The processing unit 30 may also execute the processing of step S406 to complete the carrying out request at the timing of the processing of step S408.

[0109] Referring to the accompanying drawings, the control device 3 is described Figure 7-Figure 8 An example of a transport path of the transport vehicle 2 corresponding to the sequence shown in the flowchart.

[0110] Fig.10 This is a diagram to explain the transport sequence. Fig.10 This corresponds to a schematic side view of one side (the rear side) of a set of storage racks 10 arranged opposite to each other as viewed from the front side. The storage rack 10 includes 6 layers on the upper and lower GND layers, and each layer includes 5 storage units 101. Fig.10 In the description, the blocks corresponding to the storage units 101 are labeled with storage unit identification data.

[0111] It should be noted that Fig.10 Take the second (rear) storage rack 10 of the first group as an example. Fig.10 In the example, the storage unit identification data of each storage unit 101 is composed of the identification number of the group, the identification number of the storage rack 10 in the group, the number of layers, and a number with the ascending path 12 side as a smaller number. For example, the first layer is "01020101", "01020102", "01020103", ..., starting from the right part (the ascending path 12 side) in the figure, and the second layer is also "01020201", "01020202", ..., and the third layer is "01020301", ....

[0112] Relative to Fig.10 In the example shown, in the storage unit identification data of each storage unit 101 of the first (front side) storage rack 10 of the first group, the first layer is "01010101", "01010102", "01010103", ... in sequence, and the second layer is also "01010201", "01010202", ... in sequence from the storage side, and the third layer is "01010301", ... in sequence.

[0113] The storage section 101 of the first group of the first (front side) storage rack 10 with the storage section identification data “01010101” is opposite to the storage section 101 of the first group of the second (rear side) storage rack 10 with the storage section identification data “01020101”. Similarly, the storage section 101 of the first group of the first (front side) storage rack 10 with the storage section identification data “01010504” is opposite to the storage section 101 of the first group of the second (rear side) storage rack 10 with the storage section identification data “01020504”. The transport cart 2 can stop at the same position for each of the opposing storage sections 101 and access them by taking the fork in and out forward and backward.

[0114] like Fig.10 As shown by the hollow arrow in the figure, in the storage rack 10, the travel direction is set in each layer so that the transport cart 2 travels in the direction from the ascending path 12 side to the descending path 13 side or from the descending path 13 side to the ascending path 12 side. In at least one layer, the travel direction is set so that the transport cart 2 travels in the direction from the descending path 13 side to the ascending path 12 side. The transport cart 2 is prohibited from entering the ascending path 12 from the ascending path 112, and is also prohibited from entering the ascending path 113 from the descending path 13.

[0115] exist Fig.10 In the example, at least two corresponding relationships are established between the second and fifth floors whose travel directions are defined as from the ascending road 12 side to the descending road 13 side and other floors whose directions are from the descending road 13 side to the ascending road 12 side. Moreover, these two floors are respectively the upper and lower floors relative to the second and fifth floors. They are not necessarily separated up and down. Thus, a circulation path is formed by the travel path of a corresponding layer, the travel paths of two other layers, and the lifting and lowering roads 112 and 113. In other words, the transport trolley 2 that has ascended in the lifting and lowering road 113 descends in the lifting and lowering road 112. The transport trolley 2 that has descended in the lifting and lowering road 113 ascends in the lifting and lowering road 112.

[0116] exist Fig.10 In the example shown, the floors directly accessible from the branch area 14 on the ascending path 12 side are the 2nd floor and the 5th floor. Fig.10In the case of "01020403" indicated by the shaded shadow in the example shown, the control device 3 instructs the transporting vehicle 2 to follow the transporting route as follows. Since the setting data (map) reads that only the storage unit 101 on the 4th floor can be accessed from the large compartment on the 5th floor, the control device 3 includes the instruction to the transporting vehicle 2 to "move to the 5th floor" in the ascending path 12 and "descend" to the next floor in the ascending path 113 on the descending path 13 side in the transporting route. The control device 3 also instructs: on the 4th floor, move to the third storage unit 101 on the ascending path 12 side, carry out, move in a manner that returns to the ascending path 12 side, and "ascend" to the 5th floor of the large compartment in the ascending path 112. The control device 3 continues to instruct: move from the driving path of the large compartment on the 5th floor to the descending path 13, descend from the descending path 13, drive on the GND floor, and return to the work area.

[0117] Similarly, the storage unit identification data included in the removal request is Fig.10 In the example shown, in the case of "01020304" indicated by the shaded area, the control device 3 instructs the transporting trolley 2 to follow the transporting route as follows. Since the setting data (map) reads that only the storage section 101 on the 3rd floor can be accessed from the large compartment on the 2nd floor, the control device 3 instructs the transporting trolley 2 to "move to the 2nd floor" in the ascending path 12, and to "ascend" one floor in the ascending path 113 on the side of the descending path 13. The control device 3 also instructs: move to the second storage section 101 on the storage side, perform the unloading process, move to the ascending path 112 on the side of the ascending path 12, and "descend" to the 2nd floor in the ascending path 112. The control device 3 continues to instruct: move from the driving path on the 2nd floor to the descending path 13, descend from the descending path 13, travel on the GND floor, and return to the work area.

[0118] More details Figure 8 The transport path is shown in the flowchart. Fig.11 This is another illustration of the transport path. In the database 310 of the storage unit 31 of the control device 3, the unloading request of the container 4 stored in the storage unit 101 of the storage unit identification data "01020304" as described above is stored in an unprocessed state. At this time, the processing unit 30 of the control device 3 detects that the container 4 is loaded on the transport trolley 2 and put into storage in the ascending path 12 corresponding to the storage rack 10 of the first group "01" (S201). In the case of the shelf stored in the transport trolley 2 (S204: Yes), the processing unit 30 determines the container identification data of the loaded container (S205).

[0119] The processing unit 30 selects the unprocessed unloading request for the container stored in the storage unit 101 of "01020304" on the lower floor (S208). The processing unit 30 determines the path to the storage unit 101 of "01020304", that is, the storage units 101 from "01020201" to "01020205" accessible from the driving path on the second floor, the five storage units 101 from "01020301" to "01020305" on the third floor one floor above, or the empty storage unit 101 from "01020101" to "01020105" on the first floor one floor below (S303). At this time, the processing unit 30 may preferentially determine the storage units 101 of the second layer, that is, the six storage units 101 from "01020201" to "01020205" and "01020305" that the processing unit 30 passes through before reaching the storage unit 101 of "01020304". If there is no empty storage unit 101 among these storage units 101, the processing unit 30 may determine any one of the storage units 101 from "01020301" to "01020303" of the third layer of the upper layer or the storage units 101 from "01020101" to "01020105" of the first layer of the lower layer.

[0120] exist Fig.11 In the example, when the storage unit 101 of "01020203" indicated by the hatching is empty, the processing unit 30 prioritizes the storage unit 101. Fig.11 The hollow arrow with a thick line in the figure represents the transport path in this case. The processing unit 30 determines the transport path such as "moving to the second floor", "moving to the storage unit 101 of "01020203", "moving the loaded container 4 into the storage unit 101 of "01020203", "moving to the lifting path 113 on the side of the descending path 13", "ascending in the lifting path 113", "moving to the storage unit 101 of "01020304", "moving the container out of the storage unit 101 of "01020304", "moving to the lifting path 112 on the side of the ascending path 12", "descending in the lifting path 112", and "moving to the descending path 305" (step S305).

[0121] exist Fig.11 In the example, after selecting the unloading request for the container stored in the storage unit 101 of "01020304", if no empty storage unit 101 accessible from the driving path on the second floor can be determined, the processing unit 30 can reselect the unloading request. Therefore, the control device 3 can also give priority to the unloading request that can reach the empty storage unit 101 first.

[0122] Fig.12 is another illustration of the transport path. Fig.10 As shown in FIG. 1 , when a request to move out the container 4 stored in the storage unit 101 with the storage unit identification data "01020304" is selected (S208), and the storage unit 101 "01020103" indicated by only the hatching is empty, the processing unit 30 determines the following transport path (S305). Fig.12 The hollow bold arrow in the figure indicates the transport path in this case. The transport path is in the order of "moving to the second floor", "moving to the lifting path 113 on the side of the descending path 13", "descending in the lifting path 113", "moving to the storage section 101 of "01020103", "carrying in the loaded container 4 to the storage section 101 of "01020103", "moving to the lifting path 112 on the side of the ascending path 12", "ascending in the lifting path 112", "moving to the lifting path 113 on the side of the descending path 13 on the second floor", "ascending in the lifting path 113", "moving to the storage section 101 of "01020304", "carrying out the container from the storage section 101 of "01020304", "moving to the lifting path 112 on the side of the ascending path 12", "descending in the lifting path 112", and "moving to the descending path 13".

[0123] When only the loading and unloading of the large compartment is completed, the circular movement can be omitted, and the lifting and lowering in the lifting and lowering path 113 can be omitted, and the lifting and lowering can be omitted, and the lifting and lowering path 13 can be descended to GND. Fig.13 is another illustration of the transport path. Fig.13 As shown in FIG. 1 , when a request to move out a container stored in a storage unit 101 with storage unit identification data "01020204", i.e., a storage unit 101 located in a large compartment is selected (S208), and the storage unit 101 of the storage unit "01020202" in the same compartment is empty, the processing unit 30 determines the following transport path (S305). Fig.13 The hollow bold arrow in the figure indicates the transport path in this case. The transport path is in the order of "moving to the second floor", "moving to the storage section 101 of "01020202", "moving the loaded container 4 to the storage section 101 of "01020202", "moving to the storage section 101 of "01020204" on the same interlayer", "moving the container out of the storage section 101 of "01020204", and "moving to the descending path 13".

[0124] In this way, in the transport system 100, the processing unit 30 of the control device 3 identifies the object and instructs the moving path to each transport trolley 2 in the order of “rising compartment in the ascending path 12”, “rising or descending in the lifting path 113 on the side of the descending path 13”, “the position of the storage section 101 for the object to be moved in”, “the position of the storage section 101 for the object to be moved out”, “rising and falling in the lifting path 112 on the side of the ascending path 12”, and “the descending path 13”. Before and after the “position of the storage section 101 for the object to be moved in” and the “position of the storage section 101 for the object to be moved out”, depending on the position of the storage section 101 for the object, there are cases where lifting and falling in the lifting paths 112 and 113 are not required and cases where lifting and falling in the lifting paths 112 and 113 are required, but all are one-way traffic. Fig.11 , 12 As shown by the hollow arrows in FIG. 1 , when accessing from a large compartment to other compartments, the transport cart 2 moves on the circulation path.

[0125] As described above, the transport cart 2 accesses each storage unit 101 through the one-way travel path. Therefore, there is no collision between the transport carts 2, and the lifting is not limited to the ascending path 12 and the descending path 13, so congestion can be alleviated and efficient transportation can be expected.

[0126] Here, the operation of a transport cart in a conventional storage rack will be described as a comparison. Fig.14 This is an explanatory diagram of a conventional method. Fig.14 and Figure 10 to Figure 13 The storage rack 10 shown is similarly a multi-layer rack with 6 layers and 5 storage sections in the left and right directions. An ascending path 91 is provided at the right end of the multi-layer rack, and a descending path 92 is provided at the left end. In the existing method, each layer can be accessed from the ascending path 91. The descending path 92 can also be accessed from each layer. The transport trolley 2 moves from the ascending path 91. If only moving out or moving in, it moves toward the storage section of the object to carry out the moving out or moving in, so that no action in the opposite direction is performed, and collision can be avoided. However, in the ascending path 91 and the descending path 92, congestion of the transport trolley 2 that is raised and lowered is likely to occur.

[0127] In contrast, Figure 10 to Figure 13 As shown, in the transport system 100 of the present disclosure, although the transport trolley 2 travels in a one-way manner in the small compartment, the small compartment can only be accessed from the large compartment. The lifting paths 112 and 113 perform a predetermined lifting of one level between the large compartment and the small compartment. The transport trolley 2 that accesses the container 4 to be unloaded while transporting the container 4 to be unloaded is as shown in FIG. Fig.12 Although the transport path shown in the figure may require traveling on a longer route, congestion can be avoided as a result, and efficient transport can be achieved.

[0128] In the above-mentioned travel path, the small compartment is accessed by ascending or descending one level from the large compartment. In the transport system 100 of the present disclosure, the number of ascending and descending levels in the ascending and descending paths 112 and 113 may also be changed according to the number of levels of the storage racks 10 .

[0129] Fig.15 is another illustration of the transport path. Fig.15 In the example, the number of layers of the storage rack 10 is "10". Fig.15 In the case of a 3D printer, the large compartments are the 2nd, 5th, and 9th layers. Fig.15 As shown by the thick hollow arrow in the figure, not only the 10th floor, but also the 7th floor and the 8th floor, a total of three floors, are associated with the 9th floor large compartment. In this way, the number of ascending floors and descending floors in the lifting paths 112 and 113 is not limited to 1 floor. However, it is preferred to design the number of ascending floors and descending floors to about 2 floors in advance according to the frequency of loading and unloading.

[0130] Fig.16 is another illustration of the transport path. Fig.16 In the example, the number of layers of the storage rack 10 is "6". Fig.16 In , the large interlayers are the second layer, the fourth layer, and the sixth layer. The layers of the first layer establish a corresponding relationship with the large interlayers of the second layer. The layers of the third layer establish a corresponding relationship with the large interlayers of the fourth layer, and the layers of the fifth layer establish a corresponding relationship with the large interlayers of the sixth layer. And, as Fig.16 As shown by the hollow arrows in the figure, the traveling direction is set in each floor so as to travel in either the direction from the ascending path 12 side to the descending path 13 side or from the descending path 13 side to the ascending path 12 side. Fig.16 In the example, the second, fourth, and sixth floors whose travel directions are defined as from the ascending path 12 side to the descending path 13 side are also correspondingly established one by one with the other floors whose directions are from the descending path 13 side to the ascending path 12 side. Thus, a circulation path is formed by the travel path of one corresponding floor, the travel path of another floor, and the ascending and descending paths 112 and 113.

[0131] like Fig.16 As shown, at least one layer is established in correspondence with the layers of each large interlayer to form a circulation path. Fig.10 , Fig.15 , Fig.16 That is, it can also be a mixed transport path such that one large compartment is associated with only one other layer, another large compartment is associated with both the upper and lower layers, and another large compartment is associated with the upper two layers or the lower two layers.

[0132] Fig.17 is another illustration of the transport path. Figure 1, Figure 2 , Figure 10 to Figure 13 , Fig.15 , Fig.16 In the example, a structure is formed in which a lifting path 112 and 113 are respectively provided at the left and right ends of the storage rack 10. However, it is not limited to this, and it can also be formed as follows: the storage rack 10 is divided into two in the driving direction of the transport cart 2, and the lifting paths 114 and 115 are further provided in the separated parts. In this case, even if the lifting path 113 on the side of the descending path 13 at the left end of the storage rack 10 is not reached, the lifting path 114 located in the center can be used to access the small compartment.

[0133] Fig.18 It is a schematic plan view showing another example of the storage rack 10 . Fig.18 and Figure 2 The top view corresponds to . Fig.18 The storage rack 10 of the embodiment is different in that it can store two containers 4 in each of the front and rear directions. That is, the storage rack 10 is a multi-row and multi-layer rack. Fig.18 In the storage rack 10 shown, the determination of the transport path itself is the same as the processing for each of the storage racks 1 in the front and rear directions, except for the difference in the determination of the empty storage section 101.

[0134] The conveying path indicated by the control device 3 is not limited to Figure 10 to Figure 13 , Fig.15 , Fig.16 , Fig.17 Etc. If the travel direction specified by each layer indicated by the hollow arrows in the figure can be followed, other paths may also be used. However, when the transport trolley 2 moves from the small compartment to the large compartment, it is preferably controlled in a way that it becomes a path returning to the original large compartment. It should be noted that in the branch area 14, group movement to the adjacent storage rack 10 can also be implemented.

[0135] The receiving rack 10 shown in the above-mentioned embodiment is a multi-layer structure from a certain floor of the working area to the top. However, the receiving rack 10 is not limited to this, and can also be a multi-layer structure from a certain floor of the working area to the bottom (illustration omitted). In this case, the transport trolley 2 also travels in the direction of travel of the one-way passage specified on each floor. The transport trolley 2 arrives at the large compartment of the receiving rack 10 through the descending road, and travels from the descending road to the ascending road on any floor. When entering from the large compartment to the small compartment, the transport trolley rises or falls in the lifting road on the ascending road side, travels from the ascending road side to the descending road side in the small compartment, descends or rises in the lifting and lowering of the descending road side, returns to the large compartment, and goes to the ascending road from the large compartment. In this case, the control method of the control device 3 (or the transport trolley 2 itself) is also the same as the above content.

[0136] In the above embodiment, the control device 3 has been described as instructing the transport path to the plurality of transport carts 2 according to their respective positions, unloading requests, and the presence or absence of cargo on each transport cart 2. However, the present invention is not limited thereto, and the control unit 20 of the transport cart 2 may also be a computer, which obtains information about the storage unit 101 to be unloaded and the empty storage unit 101 from the control device 3, determines the transport path according to the position of the machine (the transport cart 2 itself), and instructs the wheel drive unit 21 to travel and lift.

[0137] The embodiments disclosed above are illustrative in all aspects and are not restrictive. The scope of the present invention is indicated by the claims and includes all modifications within the meaning and scope equivalent to the claims.

[0138] Explanation of symbols:

[0139] 100 Handling Systems

[0140] 10 Shelves

[0141] 112, 113 Lift Road

[0142] 12 Ascending Road

[0143] 13. Descending Road

[0144] 14 Branch Area

[0145] 2 Transport trolley

[0146] 3 Control device

[0147] 30 Processing Department

[0148] 31 Storage

[0149] 310 Database

Claims

1. A transport system, wherein: The handling system comprises: Multi-layered storage racks that hold items; A travel path, which is provided on a receiving frame, wherein a plurality of receiving frames are arranged opposite to each other in a manner of sandwiching the travel path; A transport trolley that travels along the travel path, takes out items stored in the storage rack, and moves other items into the storage rack; A lifting path, which is arranged on both sides relative to the central part of the storage rack in the direction along the travel path, for the transport trolley to be lifted and lowered; an ascending path, which is provided on the outer side of one of the lifting paths in the direction along the travel path of the storage rack, for the transport trolley to ascend; and a descending path, which is provided outside the other lifting path in the direction along the travel path of the storage rack, for the transport trolley to descend, The travel direction is specified for each layer of the storage rack in such a manner that the transport trolley travels in either a direction from the ascending road side to the descending road side on the travel path upward or from the descending road side to the ascending road side on the travel path upward, In at least one layer of the storage rack, the travel direction of the transport vehicle is set so as to travel in a direction from the descending path side toward the ascending path side. The transport dolly is prohibited from entering the ascending path from the elevating path, and is prohibited from entering the elevating path from the descending path.

2. The transport system according to claim 1, wherein: At least one of the layers whose traveling direction is defined as a direction from the ascending road side toward the descending road side is established in a correspondence relationship with the other layers whose traveling direction is defined as a direction from the descending road side toward the ascending road side, A circulation path is formed by the travel path of the corresponding one floor, the travel path of the other floor, and the lifting path.

3. The transport system according to claim 1, wherein: At least two correspondences are established between at least one of the layers whose traveling direction is defined as a direction from the ascending road side toward the descending road side and the other layers whose traveling direction is defined as a direction from the descending road side toward the ascending road side, A circulation path is formed by the travel path of the corresponding one floor, the travel paths of the two other floors, and the lifting path.

4. The transport system according to claim 3, wherein: At least one of the layers whose travel direction is defined as the direction from the ascending road side toward the descending road side is associated with at least one of the upper and lower layers whose travel direction is from the descending road side toward the ascending road side.

5. The transport system according to claim 1, wherein: When the transport vehicle visits a different floor from the floor ascended in the ascending path, the transport vehicle ascends or descends to another floor in the elevating path on the descending path side. The transport trolley is driven in a direction from the descending road side toward the ascending road side in the target layer, The transport trolley returns in the lifting path on the ascending path side to the floor from which it ascended in the ascending path. The transport trolley travels toward the descending path in the returned floor.

6. The transport system according to claim 1, wherein: When storing items into the storage rack and taking other items out of the storage rack, the transport trolley travels on a transport path in which the other items are taken out after the items are moved into a storage section within a travel path that can access a layer storing the items to be taken out.

7. The transport system according to claim 6, wherein: The transport system further includes a control device that instructs the transport vehicle on a transport path. The control device receives a request to carry out an object to be carried out and a request to carry in an object to be carried in. The control device determines a transport route including a storage section that is a transport destination of the transported article transported by the transport vehicle based on the transport request and the transport request.

8. A transport system, wherein: The handling system comprises: Multi-layered storage racks that hold items; A travel path, which is provided on a receiving frame, wherein a plurality of receiving frames are arranged opposite to each other in a manner of sandwiching the travel path; A transport trolley that travels along the travel path, takes out items stored in the storage rack, and moves other items into the storage rack; A lifting path, which is arranged on both sides relative to the central part of the storage rack in the direction along the travel path, for the transport trolley to be lifted and lowered; a descending path provided on the outer side of one of the lifting paths in the direction along the travel path of the storage rack, for the transport trolley to descend; and an ascending path, which is provided outside the other elevating path in the direction along the travel path of the storage rack, for the transport trolley to ascend, The travel direction is specified for each layer of the storage rack so that the transport trolley travels in either a direction from the descending road side to the ascending road side on the travel path upward or from the ascending road side to the descending road side on the travel path upward. In at least one layer of the storage rack, the travel direction of the transport trolley is set so as to travel in a direction from the ascending path side toward the descending path side. The transport dolly is prohibited from entering the descending path from the elevating path, and is prohibited from entering the elevating path from the ascending path.

9. A method for controlling a transport trolley, wherein a computer is used for processing in a transport system, wherein: The handling system comprises: Multi-layered storage racks that hold items; A travel path, which is provided on a receiving frame, wherein a plurality of receiving frames are arranged opposite to each other in a manner of sandwiching the travel path; A transport trolley that travels along the travel path, takes out items stored in the storage rack, and moves other items into the storage rack; A lifting path, which is arranged on both sides relative to the central part of the storage rack in the direction along the travel path, for the transport trolley to be lifted and lowered; an ascending path, which is provided on the outer side of one of the lifting paths in the direction along the travel path of the storage rack, for the transport trolley to ascend; and a descending path, which is provided outside the other lifting path in the direction along the travel path of the storage rack, for the transport trolley to descend, The travel direction is specified for each layer of the storage rack in such a manner that the transport trolley travels in either a direction from the ascending road side to the descending road side on the travel path upward or from the descending road side to the ascending road side on the travel path upward, In at least one layer of the storage rack, the travel direction of the transport vehicle is set so as to travel in a direction from the descending path side toward the ascending path side. The transport trolley is prohibited from entering the ascending path from the elevating path, and is prohibited from entering the elevating path from the descending path. The computer performs the following processing: The transport path of the transport trolley is determined in the following order: a layer ascending in the ascending path, ascending and descending in the ascending and descending path on the descending path side, ascending and descending in the ascending and descending path on the ascending path side, a layer specifying a direction of travel toward the descending path, and moving toward the descending path in the layer; and The determined transport route is instructed to the transport vehicle.

10. A control method for a transport trolley, which is processed in a trolley travel system capable of three-dimensional travel, wherein the trolley travel system is composed of a storage frame, a large compartment travel path, a small compartment travel path, and a lifting path. The storage rack can carry goods and is divided into multiple compartments. The large compartment travel path is connected to the ascending path for the trolley to ascend and the descending path for the trolley to descend in the travel paths corresponding to the compartments of the storage rack. The small compartment running road is arranged on a compartment other than the large compartment running road. The lifting path is arranged between the large compartment travel path and the descending path, or between the large compartment travel path and the ascending path. The following processing is performed in the trolley driving system: The trolley loaded with goods and entering the large compartment travel road from the ascending road is driven on the following path; Furthermore, the moving direction of the trolley when moving between the individual floors in the lifting path is limited to either the ascending side or the descending side. The path is: After unloading the load on the large-compartment travel road, the path leading to the descending road is loaded with goods on the large-compartment travel road. or, After unloading the load on the large compartment travel road, the vehicle enters the small compartment travel road from the large compartment travel road via the lifting road, and after loading the goods on the small compartment travel road, the vehicle enters the small compartment travel road from the large compartment travel road via the lifting road. or, After unloading the load from the small compartment travel path entered from the large compartment travel path via the elevator road, loading the goods on the small compartment travel path, and then leading from the large compartment travel path to the descending path via the elevator road, or, After unloading the load from the small compartment travel road entered from the large compartment travel road via the lifting road, the large compartment travel road is entered from the small compartment travel road via the lifting road, and after loading the goods in the large compartment travel road, the path leads to the descending road.

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