Posture adjusting device

Abstract

A control device (50) changes the posture of a conveyed object (11) by controlling the speed difference between the conveying speed (V1) of a first conveyor unit (21) and the conveying speed (V2) of a second conveyor unit (22) arranged in parallel. On the basis of a pre-adjustment attitude difference ([delta] Su), which is the difference between an upstream-side actual attitude (Su) detected by an upstream-side attitude detection device (30u) and a target attitude (Sr), and a characteristic value (H) indicating the difficulty of attitude change in accordance with the characteristics of the conveyed object (11) determined by a characteristic determination device (40), the speed difference ([delta] Su) is changed in accordance with the magnitude of the pre-adjustment attitude difference ([delta] Su). The speed difference ([delta] Su) increases as the characteristic value (H) increases.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a posture adjustment device for adjusting the posture of an object to be conveyed. Background Art

[0002] An example of such a posture adjustment device is disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2010-100398 (Patent Document 1). In Patent Document 1, a posture adjustment device is disclosed that adjusts the orientation of a rectangular or square object to be conveyed by imparting a speed difference to the left and right in the conveying direction of a posture adjustment conveyor. The posture adjustment device of this Patent Document 1 constantly detects the orientation of the object to be conveyed with a CCD camera and constantly adjusts its orientation.

[0003] Prior Art Documents

[0004] Patent Documents

[0005] Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2010-100398 Summary of the Invention

[0006] Technical Problem to be Solved by the Invention

[0007] In the device described in Patent Document 1, it is assumed that the posture adjustment of a single type of object to be conveyed is performed. However, depending on the use of the posture adjustment device, there are also cases where it is necessary to perform the posture adjustment of multiple types of objects to be conveyed. For example, in the case where multiple objects to be conveyed having different characteristics such as shape, weight, and material are set as the objects of posture adjustment, it can be considered that the ease of posture change also differs corresponding to the characteristics of these objects to be conveyed. However, in the posture adjustment device described in Patent Document 1, since it is assumed that the posture adjustment of a single type of object to be conveyed is performed, no special consideration is given to such a point. Therefore, there may occur a situation where the posture change is excessive when the characteristic of the object to be conveyed is easy to change its posture, or conversely, the posture change is insufficient when the characteristic of the object to be conveyed is difficult to change its posture.

[0008] Therefore, there is a desire to realize a technology that can appropriately perform posture adjustment according to the characteristics of each object to be conveyed in the case where it is necessary to perform the posture adjustment of multiple objects to be conveyed having different characteristics.

[0009] Means for Solving the Technical Problem

[0010] In view of the above-described characteristic structure of the posture adjustment device for adjusting the posture of the conveyed object, it includes: a posture adjustment conveyor that conveys the aforementioned conveyed object along a specified conveying direction and adjusts the posture of the aforementioned conveyed object; a characteristic determination device that determines the characteristics of the aforementioned conveyed object on the upstream side of the aforementioned posture adjustment conveyor; an upstream-side posture detection device that detects the posture of the aforementioned conveyed object at the upstream-side end of the aforementioned posture adjustment conveyor; and a control device that controls the aforementioned posture adjustment conveyor; assuming that the direction orthogonal to the aforementioned conveying direction is the conveying width direction; the aforementioned posture adjustment conveyor is configured to include a first conveyor section and a second conveyor section that are arranged side by side adjacent to each other in the aforementioned conveying width direction, and the conveying speed of the aforementioned first conveyor section and the conveying speed of the aforementioned second conveyor section are different; the aforementioned control device executes posture adjustment control, and in the posture adjustment control, by controlling the speed difference between the conveying speed of the aforementioned first conveyor section and the conveying speed of the aforementioned second conveyor section, the posture of the aforementioned conveyed object conveyed across both the aforementioned first conveyor and the aforementioned second conveyor is changed; setting the posture of the aforementioned conveyed object that is the target at the downstream-side end of the aforementioned posture adjustment conveyor as the target posture, and setting the actual posture of the aforementioned conveyed object detected by the aforementioned upstream-side posture detection device as the upstream-side actual posture; in the aforementioned posture adjustment control, the aforementioned control device changes the aforementioned speed difference based on the difference between the aforementioned upstream-side actual posture and the aforementioned target posture, that is, the pre-adjustment posture difference, and a characteristic value indicating the difficulty of posture change corresponding to the characteristics of the aforementioned conveyed object determined by the aforementioned characteristic determination device, and increases the aforementioned speed difference as the aforementioned characteristic value becomes larger.

[0011] According to this structure, since the posture adjustment control is performed by making the speed difference between the first conveyor section and the second conveyor section different not only based on the difference between the upstream-side actual posture and the target posture, that is, the pre-adjustment posture difference, but also based on a characteristic value indicating the difficulty of posture change corresponding to the characteristics of the conveyed object, appropriate posture adjustment control corresponding to the characteristics of the conveyed object can be performed. Therefore, in the case where the posture adjustment of a plurality of conveyed objects with different characteristics needs to be performed, the posture adjustment can be appropriately performed according to the characteristics of each conveyed object.

[0012] More features and advantages of the posture adjustment device will become clear from the following description of the embodiments with reference to the drawings. Description of the Drawings

[0013] Figure 1 It is a block diagram showing the control structure of the posture adjustment device of the first embodiment.

[0014] Figure 2 is Figure 1 a top view of the posture adjustment conveyor of

[0015] Figure 3 It is a view showing the conveyance of a conveyance object with a large long-side dimension by a posture adjustment conveyor Figure 1 .

[0016] Figure 4 It is a view showing the conveyance of a conveyance object with a small long-side dimension by a posture adjustment conveyor Figure 1 .

[0017] Figure 5 It is a view showing the posture adjustment device of the second embodiment.

[0018] Figure 6 It is Figure 5 a top view of the posture adjustment conveyor. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0019] 〔First Embodiment〕

[0020] Hereinafter, the posture adjustment device 10 according to the first embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. Figure 1 It is a block diagram showing the control structure of the posture adjustment device 10 of the present embodiment. The posture adjustment device 10 includes a posture adjustment conveyor 20 that conveys the conveyance object 11 along a predetermined conveyance direction X and adjusts the posture S of the conveyance object 11. Figure 2 It is a top view of the posture adjustment conveyor 20. The conveyance object 11 is not particularly limited, and is, for example, a plurality of pieces of luggage having different outer shapes, sizes, weights, etc. Preferably, the conveyance object 11 is carry-on luggage inspected at an airport. Here, the direction orthogonal to the conveyance direction X is defined as the conveyance width direction Y. In addition, the direction along the vertical direction is defined as the up-down direction Z. Further, the upstream side X1 refers to the upstream side in the conveyance direction X, and the downstream side X2 refers to the downstream side in the conveyance direction X.

[0021] The posture S of the conveyance object 11 is at least the angle θ (°) in a plan view of the conveyance object 11. In the present embodiment, the posture S of the conveyance object 11 is the angle θ in a plan view of the conveyance object 11 and the position P (mm) of the conveyance object 11 in the conveyance width direction Y. The angle θ in a plan view of the conveyance object 11 is, for example, the angle in an up-down direction view, and is the angle of the conveyance object 11 when the target angle θ R in the state of the target posture Sr of the conveyance object 11 is set to 0 (°). The position P of the conveyance object 11 in the conveyance width direction Y is, for example, the position of the conveyance object 11 when the target position P R in the state of the target posture Sr of the conveyance object 11 is set to 0 (mm). The target posture Sr of the conveyance object 11 may be set for each type of conveyance object 11. In Figure 2 the example, the angle θ in the state where the long side of the conveyance object 11 is parallel to the conveyance direction X is set as the target angle θ RThat is, 0 (°), the position P of the center of the conveyed object 11 when observed in the vertical direction is overlapped with the central position in the conveying width direction Y of the posture adjustment conveyor 20 as the target position P. R That is, 0 (mm). As the center of the conveyed object 11, for example, the center of gravity of the conveyed object 11, the midpoints of the long side and the short side of the conveyed object 11 (in other words, the intersection of the diagonals) can be cited.

[0022] The posture adjustment conveyor 20 includes a first conveyor section 21 and a second conveyor section 22 that are arranged side by side adjacent to each other in the conveying width direction Y. Here, the side where the first conveyor section 21 is arranged with respect to the second conveyor section 22 in the conveying width direction Y is defined as the first side Y1 in the conveying width direction, and the opposite side is defined as the second side Y2 in the conveying width direction. In the present embodiment, the first conveyor section 21 is a roller conveyor in which a plurality of first rollers 23 are arranged in the conveying direction X, and the rotation axes of the respective first rollers 23 are inclined so as to face the downstream side X2 in the conveying direction X as they face the first side Y1 in the conveying width direction. In addition, in the present embodiment, the second conveyor section 22 is a roller conveyor in which a plurality of second rollers 24 are arranged in the conveying direction X, and the rotation axes of the respective second rollers 24 are inclined so as to face the downstream side X2 in the conveying direction X as they face the second side Y2 in the conveying width direction.

[0023] The posture adjustment conveyor 20 is configured such that the conveying speed V1 (m / s) of the first conveyor section 21 and the conveying speed V2 (m / s) of the second conveyor section 22 can be different.

[0024] In the present embodiment, the first conveyor section 21 is configured such that the conveying speed V1u (m / s) in the upstream side X1 section, that is, the first upstream side section 21u, and the conveying speed V1d (m / s) in the section that is the downstream side X2 with respect to the first upstream side section 21u, that is, the first downstream side section 21d, can be different. In addition, the second conveyor section 22 is configured such that the conveying speed V2u (m / s) in the upstream side X1 section, that is, the second upstream side section 22u, and the conveying speed V2d (m / s) in the section that is the downstream side X2 with respect to the second upstream side section 22u, that is, the second downstream side section 22d, can be different. In the illustrated example, the first upstream side section 21u and the first downstream side section 21d are arranged adjacent to each other, and the second upstream side section 22u and the second downstream side section 22d are arranged adjacent to each other.

[0025] In addition, in the present embodiment, the posture adjustment conveyor 20 includes a first driving device 25 that drives the first conveyor section 21 and a second driving device 26 that drives the second conveyor section 22. Therefore, the conveying speed V1 (m / s) and the conveying speed V2 (m / s) can be made different. The first driving device 25 includes a first upstream driving device 25u and a first downstream driving device 25d. The first upstream driving device 25u drives the first rollers 23 in the first upstream section 21u, and the first downstream driving device 25d drives the first rollers 23 in the first downstream section 21d, so that the conveying speed V1u and the conveying speed V1d can be made different. In addition, the second driving device 26 includes a second upstream driving device 26u and a second downstream driving device 26d. The second upstream driving device 26u drives the second rollers 24 in the second upstream section 22u, and the second downstream driving device 26d drives the second rollers 24 in the second downstream section 22d, so that the conveying speed V2u and the conveying speed V2d can be made different.

[0026] In the present embodiment, the posture adjustment device 10 includes an upstream table portion 12 on the upstream side X1 of the posture adjustment conveyor 20. In the illustrated example, the upstream table portion 12 is a roller conveyor on which a plurality of upstream rollers 12a are arranged in the conveying direction X, and the rotation axes of the upstream rollers 12a are in the direction along the conveying width direction Y. Therefore, on the upstream table portion 12, the posture S of the conveyed object 11 does not change.

[0027] The posture adjustment device 10 includes an upstream side posture detection device 30u that detects the posture S of the conveyed object 11 at the upstream end portion 71 of the posture adjustment conveyor 20. Here, let the actual posture S of the conveyed object 11 detected by the upstream side posture detection device 30u be the upstream side actual posture Su. The position for detecting the upstream side actual posture Su may also be the upstream end portion 71 of the posture adjustment conveyor 20. In addition, as long as the posture S of the conveyed object 11 does not change on the upstream side X1 with respect to the posture adjustment conveyor 20, it may also be on the upstream side X1 further upstream than the upstream end portion 71. In the illustrated example, the upstream side posture detection device 30u detects the posture S of the conveyed object 11 at the upstream table portion 12. Since, as described above, on the upstream table portion 12, the posture S of the conveyed object 11 does not change, the posture S of the conveyed object 11 detected by the upstream side posture detection device 30u on the upstream table portion 12 is the same as the upstream side actual posture Su that is the posture S at the upstream end portion 71 of the posture adjustment conveyor 20. The upstream side posture detection device 30u detects the actual angle, i.e., the upstream side actual angle θ U and the actual position of the conveyed object 11, i.e., the upstream side actual position P U , that is, the upstream side actual posture Su.

[0028] In the present embodiment, the posture adjustment device 10 includes a downstream table portion 13 on the downstream side X2 of the posture adjustment conveyor 20. In the illustrated example, the downstream table portion 13 is a roller conveyor in which a plurality of downstream rollers 13a are arranged in the conveying direction X, and the rotation axes of the respective downstream rollers 13a are in the direction along the conveying width direction Y. Therefore, on the downstream table portion 13, the posture S of the conveyed object 11 does not change.

[0029] In the present embodiment, the posture adjustment device 10 further includes a downstream posture detection device 30d that detects the posture S of the conveyed object 11 at the downstream end portion 72 of the posture adjustment conveyor 20. Here, let the actual posture S of the conveyed object 11 detected by the downstream posture detection device 30d be the downstream actual posture Sd. The position for detecting the downstream actual posture Sd may also be the downstream end portion 72 of the posture adjustment conveyor 20. In addition, as long as the posture S of the conveyed object 11 does not change on the downstream side X2 with respect to the posture adjustment conveyor 20, it may be on the downstream side X2 further downstream than the downstream end portion 72. In the illustrated example, the downstream posture detection device 30d detects the posture S of the conveyed object 11 at the downstream table portion 13. Since, as described above, on the downstream table portion 13, the posture S of the conveyed object 11 does not change, the posture S of the conveyed object 11 detected by the downstream posture detection device 30d at the downstream table portion 13 is the same as the downstream actual posture Sd, which is the posture S at the downstream end portion 72 of the posture adjustment conveyor 20. The downstream posture detection device 30d detects the actual angle, i.e., the downstream actual angle θ, of the conveyed object 11 at the downstream end portion 72 D and the actual position, i.e., the downstream actual position P, of the conveyed object 11 D , that is, the downstream actual posture Sd. In addition, the downstream posture detection device 30d and the upstream posture detection device 30u may also be a shared device.

[0030] As Figure 1As shown, the posture adjustment device 10 is provided with a characteristic determination device 40 for determining the characteristics of the conveyed object 11 on the upstream side X1 with respect to the posture adjustment conveyor 20. The characteristics of the conveyed object 11 can also be obtained by a characteristic acquisition unit provided in the posture adjustment device 10, or can be obtained by sending conveyed object information including the characteristics from an external device and receiving it by the data acquisition unit 41 provided in the posture adjustment device 10. In the present embodiment, the characteristic determination device 40 determines the characteristics obtained by the characteristic acquisition unit provided on the upstream side table portion 12. In the illustrated example, the upstream side posture detection device 30u also functions as a characteristic acquisition unit for obtaining characteristics such as the shape of the conveyed object 11. In addition, a weight measurement unit 42 provided on the upstream side table portion 12 for obtaining characteristics such as weight and center of gravity also functions as a characteristic acquisition unit.

[0031] In the present embodiment, the characteristic determination device 40 sets a characteristic value H indicating the difficulty of posture change corresponding to the characteristics of the conveyed object 11. The characteristics of the conveyed object 11 are, for example, the size, shape, weight, material, etc. of the conveyed object 11. As the size of the conveyed object 11, for example, the dimension of the long side L1 of the conveyed object 11, the area observed in plan view, the area of the bottom surface of the conveyed object 11, etc. can be cited. As the shape of the conveyed object 11, for example, the ratio of the long side L1 to the short side L2 observed in the vertical direction, the shape of the bottom surface, etc. can be cited. As the material of the conveyed object 11, for example, the material of the bottom surface of the conveyed object 11, hardness, surface roughness, etc. can be cited. The dimensions, shape, etc. of each part of the conveyed object 11 can be obtained, for example, by the camera 31u provided on the upstream side table portion 12, or can be obtained by a scanning device such as a millimeter wave CT scanner.

[0032] The larger the value of the characteristic value H, the more difficult the posture change of the conveyed object 11 is. It is preferable that the characteristic value H is set corresponding to a plurality of characteristics, but it can also be set corresponding to a single characteristic. For example, the characteristic value H is set to continuously or stepwise become a larger value as the weight of the conveyed object 11 increases. In addition, the characteristic value H is set to continuously or stepwise become a larger value as the area of the conveyed object 11 observed in plan view decreases. In addition, the characteristic value H is set to continuously or stepwise become a larger value as the value obtained by dividing the long side L1 of the conveyed object 11 by the short side L2 increases. In addition, the characteristic value H is set to continuously or stepwise become a larger value as the friction coefficient of the bottom surface of the conveyed object 11 decreases.

[0033] Set the posture S of the conveyed object 11 that is to be the target at the downstream end 72 of the posture adjustment conveyor 20 as the target posture Sr. The posture adjustment device 10 includes a control device 50 that controls the posture adjustment conveyor 20. The control device 50 performs posture adjustment control, in which the posture S of the conveyed object 11 conveyed across both the first conveyor section 21 and the second conveyor section 22 is changed by controlling the speed difference ΔV between the conveying speed V1 of the first conveyor section 21 and the conveying speed V2 of the second conveyor section 22.

[0034] In the posture adjustment control, the control device 50 changes the speed difference ΔV based on the difference between the actual upstream posture Su and the target posture Sr, that is, the pre-adjustment posture difference ΔSu, and the characteristic value H determined by the characteristic determination device 40, which represents the difficulty of posture change corresponding to the characteristics of the conveyed object 11, and increases the speed difference ΔV as the characteristic value H increases. In the present embodiment, in the posture adjustment control, the control device 50 increases the speed difference ΔV as the pre-adjustment posture difference ΔSu increases, and increases the speed difference ΔV as the characteristic value H increases, based on the pre-adjustment posture difference ΔSu and the characteristic value H.

[0035] Preferably, the conveyed objects 11 are conveyed one by one by the posture adjustment conveyor 20, and the control device 50 controls the speed difference ΔV. In this case, the speed difference ΔV can be changed while the conveyed object 11 passes above the posture adjustment conveyor 20, but in the present embodiment, the speed difference ΔV is not changed from the initial speed difference ΔVa, which is determined based on the difference between the actual upstream posture Su and the target posture Sr, that is, the pre-adjustment posture difference ΔSu, and the characteristic value H.

[0036] In the present embodiment, for example, let the adjustment rate of the conveying speed V1 of the first conveyor section 21 with respect to the conveying speed V (m / s) of the posture adjustment conveyor 20 be the adjustment rate u1 (= 100·V1 / V), and let the adjustment rate of the conveying speed V2 of the second conveyor section 22 with respect to the conveying speed V of the posture adjustment conveyor 20 be the adjustment rate u2 (= 100·V2 / V). That is, V1 = V·u1 / 100, V2 = V·u2 / 100, and the conveying speed V1 can be determined based on the conveying speed V (m / s) of the posture adjustment conveyor 20 and the adjustment rate u1 (%), and the conveying speed V2 can be determined based on the conveying speed V (m / s) and the adjustment rate u2 (%).

[0037] The adjustment rate u1 (%) can be expressed by the following formula (1a), and the adjustment rate u2 (%) can be expressed by the following formula (2a).

[0038] u1 = 100 + (K θ + K H ·H)·(θU -θ R ) + K P (P U -P R )…(1a)

[0039] u2 = 100 - (K θ +K H ·H).(θ U -θ R ) - K P (P U -P R )…(2a)

[0040] Wherein, K θ is the weighting coefficient for the angle θ, K P is the weighting coefficient for the position P, K H is the weighting coefficient for the characteristic value H, θ R is the target angle at the target posture Sr, P R is the target position at the target posture Sr. The target angle θ R and the target position P R correspond to the target posture Sr, and the upstream actual angle θ U and the upstream actual position P U correspond to the upstream actual posture Su.

[0041] When the characteristic value H is set corresponding to multiple characteristics, it is preferable to set the weighting coefficients according to multiple characteristics as shown in the following formula (3a).

[0042] K H ·H = K HA ·H A +K HB ·H B +K HC ·H C +K HD ·H D …(3a)

[0043] In formula (3a), for example, the characteristic value H A is the weight, the characteristic value H B is the reciprocal of the area under planar observation, the characteristic value H C is the value obtained by dividing the long side L1 of the conveyed object 11 by the short side L2, and the characteristic value H D is the reciprocal of the friction coefficient of the bottom surface of the conveyed object 11.

[0044] In the present embodiment, the control device 50 includes a storage unit 52 and a correction processing unit 54. The storage unit 52 stores learning information representing the relationship between the pre-adjustment posture difference ΔSu, the characteristic value H, the control coefficient K for determining the speed difference ΔV based on the pre-adjustment posture difference ΔSu and the characteristic value H, and the post-adjustment posture difference ΔSd, where the post-adjustment posture difference ΔSd is the difference between the actual downstream-side posture Sd, which is the result of the posture adjustment control, and the target posture Sr. The correction processing unit 54 corrects the control coefficient K based on the learning information stored in the storage unit 52.

[0045] In the present embodiment, for example, if the adjustment rate for the first conveyor unit 21 of the i-th conveyed object 11 is set as u1 i , then the adjustment rate u1 i can be expressed by the following formula (1b). Further, if the adjustment rate for the second conveyor unit 22 of the i-th conveyed object 11 is set as u2 i , then the adjustment rate u2 i can be expressed by the following formula (2b).

[0046] u1 i = 100 + (K θi + K Hi · H) · (θ U - θ R ) + K Pi (P U - P R )...(1b)

[0047] u2 i = 100 - (K θi + K Hi · H) · (θ U - θ R ) - K Pi (P U - P R )…(2b)

[0048] Among them, K θi is the weighting coefficient for the angle θ, K Pi is the weighting coefficient for the position P, and K Hi is the weighting coefficient for the characteristic value H.

[0049] Assume that the control device 50 has performed posture adjustment control based on the adjustment rate u1 i and the adjustment rate u2 i . The angle of the conveyed object 11 at the downstream-side end 72 as a result is the downstream-side actual angle θ D , and the position is the downstream-side actual position P D . The angle θ R and the position P RThe downstream actual angle θ corresponding to the target posture Sr D and the downstream actual position P D The angle θ corresponding to the downstream actual posture Sd D −θ R and the position P D −P R Corresponding to the adjusted posture difference ΔSd.

[0050] The storage unit 52 stores learning information in the present embodiment. The learning information represents the pre-adjustment posture difference ΔSu (the angle θ U −θ R , the position P U −P R ), the characteristic value H, the control coefficient K (weighting coefficient K θi , K Pi , K Hi ) for determining the speed difference ΔV based on the pre-adjustment posture difference ΔSu and the characteristic value H, and the relationship of the adjusted posture difference ΔSd (the angle θ D −θ R , the position P D −P R ).

[0051] Furthermore, let the weighting coefficient for the angle θ with respect to the (i + 1)-th conveyed object 11 be K θi+1 , the weighting coefficient for the position P be the weighting coefficient K Pi+1 , and the weighting coefficient for the characteristic value H be the weighting coefficient K Hi+1 .

[0052] The correction processing unit 54 corrects the control coefficient K (weighting coefficient K θi+1 , K Pi+1 , K Hi+1 ) based on the learning information stored in the storage unit 52. Preferably, the control coefficient K is changed when the adjusted posture difference ΔSd is equal to or greater than the threshold J, and the control coefficient K is not changed when the adjusted posture difference ΔSd is lower than the threshold J. For example, when the absolute value of the angle θ D −θ R is smaller than the threshold θ J , the weighting coefficient K Hi+1 is represented by equation (4b), and when the absolute value of the angle θ D −θ R is equal to or greater than the threshold θ J , the weighting coefficient K Hi+1 is represented by equation (5b).

[0053] K Hi +1 = K Hi ...(4b)

[0054] K Hi +1 = K Hi +α…(5b)

[0055] where α is a preset correction value. The correction value α is set to a positive value, for example, when the angle θ D -θ R is positive, and is set to a negative value when the angle θ D -θ R is negative. In addition, the threshold J, the threshold θ J , and the correction value α can be set by means of experiments, machine learning, etc.

[0056] Figure 3 is a view showing the conveyance of the conveyance object 11 whose long side L1 dimension is equal to or greater than a set value. In the present embodiment, the control device 50, in the above-described posture adjustment control, when the dimension of the long side L1 of the conveyance object 11 is equal to or greater than the set value, controls the posture adjustment conveyor 20 to generate a speed difference between the conveyance speed V1u of the first upstream section 21u and the conveyance speed V2u of the second upstream section 22u, and also generates a speed difference between the conveyance speed V1d of the first downstream section 21d and the conveyance speed V2d of the second downstream section 22d. If the dimension of the long side L1 of the conveyance object 11 exceeds a certain value, the rear end of the conveyance object 11 is placed on the posture adjustment conveyor 20 late, and there is a case where it is difficult to change the posture. Thus, in the case of the conveyance object 11 having a large long side L1 dimension, since the posture adjustment control is performed using both the upstream sections (21u, 22u) and the downstream sections (21d, 22d) of the posture adjustment conveyor 20, it is easy to make the posture S of the conveyance object 11 close to the target posture Sr. The set value may be a preset value or a value changed by means of machine learning.

[0057] Figure 4 is a view showing the conveyance of the conveyance object 11 whose long side L1 dimension is less than the set value. In the present embodiment, the control device 50, in the above-described posture adjustment control, when the dimension of the long side L1 of the conveyance object 11 is less than the set value, controls the posture adjustment conveyor 20 to generate a speed difference between the conveyance speed V1u of the first upstream section 21u and the conveyance speed V2u of the second upstream section 22u, and eliminates the speed difference between the conveyance speed V1d of the first downstream section 21d and the conveyance speed V2d of the second downstream section 22d. Therefore, in the case of the conveyance object 11 having a small long side L1 dimension, since the posture adjustment control is performed using only the upstream sections (21u, 22u) of the posture adjustment conveyor 20, it is easy to prevent the posture S of the conveyance object 11 from deviating from the target posture Sr due to excessive change.

[0058] 〔Second Embodiment〕

[0059] Hereinafter, the posture adjustment device 10 according to the second embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. Figure 5 It is a block diagram showing the control structure of the posture adjustment device 10 of the present embodiment. Figure 6 It is a top view of the posture adjustment conveyor 20 of the present embodiment. In the present embodiment, the posture adjustment device 10 is different from the first embodiment in that it includes a posture detection device 30m during conveyance. Hereinafter, the description will focus on the differences from the first embodiment. In addition, regarding points not specifically described, they are the same as those in the first embodiment.

[0060] As Figure 5 and Figure 6 shown, in the present embodiment, the posture adjustment device 10 further includes a posture detection device 30m during conveyance that detects the posture S of the conveyed object 11 throughout the entire area of the posture adjustment conveyor 20. The actual posture S of the conveyed object 11 detected by the posture detection device 30m during conveyance is set as the actual posture Sm during conveyance. In the illustrated example, the posture adjustment conveyor 20 includes a posture detection device 30m during conveyance. This posture detection device 30m during conveyance detects, for example, the actual angle of the conveyed object 11, that is, the actual angle θ during conveyance, and the actual position of the conveyed object 11, that is, the actual position P during conveyance, throughout the entire area of the posture adjustment conveyor 20 by means of a camera 31m equipped on the posture adjustment conveyor 20, that is, it detects the actual posture Sm during conveyance. M and the actual position of the conveyed object 11, that is, the actual position P during conveyance M , that is, it detects the actual posture Sm during conveyance.

[0061] In the present embodiment, after the control device 50 determines the initial speed difference ΔVa based on the difference between the actual upstream posture Su and the target posture Sr, that is, the pre-adjustment posture difference ΔSu, and the characteristic value H, during the conveyance of the conveyed object 11 by the posture adjustment conveyor 20, based on the difference between the actual posture Sm during conveyance and the target posture Sr, that is, the posture difference ΔSm during conveyance, and the characteristic value H, the speed difference ΔV is changed according to the magnitude of the posture difference ΔSm during conveyance, and the speed difference ΔV is changed at any time in such a way that the speed difference ΔV increases as the characteristic value H increases.

[0062] In the present embodiment, during the conveyance of the conveyed object 11, the speed difference ΔV is changed at any time by determining at any time the adjustment rate u1m (= 100·V1 / V) of the conveyance speed V1 of the first conveyor section 21 with respect to the conveyance speed V (m / s) of the posture adjustment conveyor 20, and the adjustment rate u2m (= 100·V2 / V) of the conveyance speed V2 of the second conveyor section 22 with respect to the conveyance speed V of the posture adjustment conveyor 20. The adjustment rate u1m (%) during the conveyance of the conveyed object 11 can be expressed by the following formula (1c), and the adjustment rate u2m (%) can be expressed by the following formula (2c).

[0063] u1m = 100 + (K θ + K H ·H)·(θ M -θ R ) + K P (P M -P R )…(1c)

[0064] u2m = 100-(K θ + K H ·H)·(θ M -θ R )-K P (P M -P R )…(2c)

[0065] The actual angle θ during transportation M and the actual position P during transportation M correspond to the actual posture Sm during transportation, the angle θ M -θ R and the position P M -P R correspond to the posture difference ΔSm during transportation.

[0066] In this embodiment, the control device 50 first determines the initial speed difference ΔVa based on the pre-adjustment posture difference ΔSu (angle θ U -θ R , position P U -P R ) and the characteristic value H. Then, during the transportation of the conveyed object 11 by the posture adjustment conveyor 20, the control device 50 is based on the posture difference ΔSm during transportation (angle θ M -θR, position P M -P R ) and the characteristic value H, and changes the speed difference ΔV at any time in such a way that the speed difference ΔV increases as the posture difference ΔSm during transportation (angle θ M -θ R , position P M -P R ) increases and the speed difference ΔV increases as the characteristic value H increases. In addition, the control device 50 also changes the speed difference ΔV in such a way that as the posture difference ΔSm during transportation (angle θ M -θ R , position P M -P R)The speed difference ΔV is changed at any time in such a way that it decreases as the characteristic value H decreases and also decreases as the posture difference ΔSm during conveyance decreases. In addition, when the control device 50 changes the speed difference ΔV at any time according to the magnitude of the posture difference ΔSm during conveyance, proportional-integral control operation (PI control operation), proportional-integral-derivative control operation (PID control operation), etc. can also be used. In the present embodiment, it is preferable that the control device 50 includes a storage unit 52 and a correction processing unit 54, but the control device 50 may not include the storage unit 52 and the correction processing unit 54.

[0067] 〔Other Embodiment〕

[0068] Next, other embodiments of the posture adjustment device 10 will be described.

[0069] (1) In the above-described embodiment, the structure in which the first conveyor unit 21 and the second conveyor unit 22 of the posture adjustment conveyor 20 are roller conveyors has been described as an example. However, the structure is not limited to this. For example, the first conveyor unit 21 and the second conveyor unit 22 may also be composed of a belt conveyor, a chain conveyor, or other known conveying mechanisms.

[0070] (2) In the above-described embodiment, the structure in which the first conveyor unit 21 of the posture adjustment conveyor 20 is driven by the first driving device 25 and the second conveyor unit 22 is driven by the second driving device 26 has been described as an example. However, the structure is not limited to this. For example, it may be configured such that the first upstream section 21u and the first downstream section 21d of the first conveyor unit 21 and the second upstream section 22u and the second downstream section 22d of the second conveyor unit 22 are driven by a shared driving device, and a speed changer for changing the transmission ratio of the rotation from the driving device is provided. In addition, it may not be possible to make the conveying speeds different between the first upstream section 21u and the first downstream section 21d of the first conveyor unit 21. In addition, it may not be possible to make the conveying speeds different between the second upstream section 22u and the second downstream section 22d of the second conveyor unit 22.

[0071] (3) In the above-described embodiment, an example in which the posture adjustment device 10 includes an upstream-side posture detection device 30u, a downstream-side posture detection device 30d, and a characteristic determination device 40, and the control device 50 includes a storage unit 52 and a correction processing unit 54 has been described. However, it is not limited to such an example. For example, the posture adjustment device 10 may not include the downstream-side posture detection device 30d, and the control device 50 may not include the storage unit 52 and the correction processing unit 54. That is, the learning performed by the storage unit 52 and the correction processing unit 54 may not be performed. For example, the posture S of the conveyed object 11 may be adjusted based on the speed difference ΔV determined according to only the preset target posture Sr, the upstream-side actual posture Su detected by the upstream-side posture detection device 30u, and the characteristic value H determined by the characteristic determination device 40.

[0072] (4) In the above-described Embodiment 1, an example in which the posture adjustment device 10 has a structure including an upstream-side posture detection device 30u, a characteristic determination device 40, and a downstream-side posture detection device 30d has been described. However, it is not limited to such a structure. For example, the upstream-side posture detection device 30u or the downstream-side posture detection device 30d may also serve as the upstream-side posture detection device 30u, the downstream-side posture detection device 30d, and the characteristic determination device 40. Further, in the above-described Embodiment 2, an example in which the posture adjustment device 10 has a structure including an upstream-side posture detection device 30u, a characteristic determination device 40, an in-conveyance posture detection device 30m, and a downstream-side posture detection device 30d has been described. However, it is not limited to such a structure. For example, the in-conveyance posture detection device 30m may also serve as the upstream-side posture detection device 30u, the in-conveyance posture detection device 30m, the downstream-side posture detection device 30d, and the characteristic determination device 40.

[0073] (5) In the above-described embodiment, an example is described in which the rotation axes of the first rollers 23 are inclined so as to face the downstream side X2 in the conveying direction X as they face the first side Y1 in the conveying width direction, and the rotation axes of the second rollers 24 are inclined so as to face the downstream side X2 in the conveying direction X as they face the second side Y2 in the conveying width direction. However, the structure is not limited to this. For example, the rotation axes of the first rollers 23 and the second rollers 24 may be rotation axes parallel to the conveying width direction Y. In addition, in the above-described embodiment, an example is described in which the rotation axes of the first rollers 23 and the second rollers 24 are arranged along a horizontal plane. However, the structure is not limited to this. For example, the rotation axes of the first rollers 23 and the second rollers 24 may be inclined with respect to the horizontal plane. In such a case, for example, it may be configured that the rotation axes of the first rollers 23 are inclined so as to face the lower side in the up-down direction Z as they face the second side Y2 in the conveying width direction, and the rotation axes of the second rollers 24 are inclined so as to face the lower side in the up-down direction Z as they face the first side Y1 in the conveying width direction, so that the central portion in the conveying width direction Y of the conveying surface of the posture adjustment conveyor 20 is lower than the end portions in the conveying width direction Y.

[0074] (6) In addition, the structures disclosed in the above-described embodiments can be combined and applied with the structures disclosed in other embodiments as long as there is no contradiction. Regarding other structures, the embodiments disclosed in this specification are merely simple examples in all aspects. Therefore, various changes can be appropriately made without departing from the gist of the present disclosure.

[0075] 〔Summary of the above embodiment〕

[0076] Hereinafter, the posture adjustment device described above will be described.

[0077] The posture adjustment device related to the present disclosure is a posture adjustment device that adjusts the posture of a conveyed object, and includes: a posture adjustment conveyor that conveys the conveyed object along a specified conveying direction and adjusts the posture of the conveyed object; a characteristic determination device that determines the characteristics of the conveyed object on the upstream side of the posture adjustment conveyor; an upstream side posture detection device that detects the posture of the conveyed object at the upstream side end of the posture adjustment conveyor; and a control device that controls the posture adjustment conveyor; a direction orthogonal to the conveying direction is defined as the conveying width direction; the posture adjustment conveyor is configured to include a first conveyor section and a second conveyor section that are arranged side by side adjacent to each other in the conveying width direction, and the conveying speed of the first conveyor section and the conveying speed of the second conveyor section can be made different; the control device executes posture adjustment control, and in the posture adjustment control, by controlling the speed difference between the conveying speed of the first conveyor section and the conveying speed of the second conveyor section, the posture of the conveyed object conveyed across both the first conveyor and the second conveyor is changed; the posture of the conveyed object that is the target at the downstream side end of the posture adjustment conveyor is set as the target posture, and the actual posture of the conveyed object detected by the upstream side posture detection device is set as the upstream side actual posture; the control device, in the posture adjustment control, based on the difference between the upstream side actual posture and the target posture, that is, the pre-adjustment posture difference, and a characteristic value indicating the difficulty of posture change corresponding to the characteristics of the conveyed object determined by the characteristic determination device, changes the speed difference according to the magnitude of the pre-adjustment posture difference, and increases the speed difference as the characteristic value increases.

[0078] According to this configuration, since the posture adjustment control is performed by making the speed difference between the first conveyor section and the second conveyor section different not only based on the difference between the upstream side actual posture and the target posture, that is, the pre-adjustment posture difference, but also based on a characteristic value indicating the difficulty of posture change corresponding to the characteristics of the conveyed object, appropriate posture adjustment control corresponding to the characteristics of the conveyed object can be performed. Therefore, in the case where the posture adjustment of a plurality of conveyed objects with different characteristics needs to be performed, the posture adjustment can be appropriately performed according to the characteristics of each conveyed object.

[0079] As a technical solution, preferably, the aforementioned posture adjustment device further includes a downstream posture detection device that detects the posture of the aforementioned conveyed object at the downstream end of the aforementioned posture adjustment conveyor; let the actual posture of the aforementioned conveyed object detected by the aforementioned downstream posture detection device be the downstream actual posture; the aforementioned control device includes: a storage unit that stores learning information, the learning information representing the relationship between the aforementioned pre-adjustment posture difference, the aforementioned characteristic value, a control coefficient for determining the aforementioned speed difference based on the aforementioned pre-adjustment posture difference and the aforementioned characteristic value, and the post-adjustment posture difference, the post-adjustment posture difference being the difference between the aforementioned downstream actual posture, which is the result of the aforementioned posture adjustment control, and the aforementioned target posture; and a correction processing unit that corrects the aforementioned control coefficient based on the aforementioned learning information stored in the aforementioned storage unit.

[0080] According to this configuration, it is possible to learn the post-adjustment posture difference that is the result of determining the speed difference based on the pre-adjustment posture difference, the characteristic value, and the control coefficient, and correct the control coefficient to make the post-adjustment posture difference smaller. Therefore, the control coefficient can be gradually approximated to an appropriate value so that the post-adjustment posture difference approaches the target posture.

[0081] As a technical solution, preferably, the aforementioned posture adjustment device further includes a conveyance posture detection device that detects the posture of the aforementioned conveyed object throughout the entire area of the aforementioned posture adjustment conveyor; let the aforementioned speed difference determined based on the aforementioned pre-adjustment posture difference and the aforementioned characteristic value be the initial speed difference, and let the actual posture of the aforementioned conveyed object detected by the aforementioned conveyance posture detection device be the in-conveyance actual posture; after determining the aforementioned initial speed difference, during the conveyance of the aforementioned conveyed object by the aforementioned posture adjustment conveyor, the aforementioned control device changes the aforementioned speed difference based on the difference between the aforementioned in-conveyance actual posture and the aforementioned target posture, i.e., the in-conveyance posture difference, and the aforementioned characteristic value, and changes the aforementioned speed difference at any time in such a way that the aforementioned speed difference increases as the aforementioned characteristic value increases.

[0082] According to this configuration, it is possible to control the speed difference between the first conveyor section and the second conveyor section at any time based on the in-conveyance posture difference and the characteristic value during the conveyance of the conveyed object by the posture adjustment conveyor, so that the in-conveyance actual posture approaches the target posture. Therefore, with the help of the posture adjustment conveyor, it is easy to make the posture of the conveyed object approach the target posture.

[0083] As a technical solution, preferably, the first conveyor unit is configured to be able to vary the conveying speed between the upstream section, i.e., the first upstream section, and the downstream section relative to the first upstream section, i.e., the first downstream section; the second conveyor unit is configured to be able to vary the conveying speed between the upstream section, i.e., the second upstream section, and the downstream section relative to the second upstream section, i.e., the second downstream section; among the characteristics of the conveyed object determined by the characteristic determination device, the size of the long side of the conveyed object is included; in the above-mentioned posture adjustment control by the control device, when the size of the long side of the conveyed object is smaller than the set value, the posture adjustment conveyor is controlled to generate a speed difference between the conveying speed in the first upstream section and the conveying speed in the second upstream section and eliminate the speed difference between the conveying speed in the first downstream section and the conveying speed in the second downstream section, and when the size of the long side of the conveyed object is equal to or greater than the set value, the posture adjustment conveyor is controlled to generate a speed difference between the conveying speed in the first upstream section and the conveying speed in the second upstream section and also generate a speed difference between the conveying speed in the first downstream section and the conveying speed in the second downstream section.

[0084] The larger the size of the long side of the conveyed object, the higher the tendency that it is more difficult to change the posture compared to the case where the size of the long side is smaller. According to this structure, in the case of a conveyed object with a larger size of the long side, by using the upstream section and the downstream section of the posture adjustment conveyor for posture adjustment control, it is easy to make the posture of the conveyed object closer to the target posture. On the other hand, in the case of a conveyed object with a smaller size of the long side, by using only the upstream section of the posture adjustment conveyor for posture adjustment control, it is easy to avoid the posture of the conveyed object from deviating from the target posture due to excessive change.

[0085] As a technical solution, preferably, the characteristic value is set to continuously or stepwise become a larger value as the weight of the conveyed object increases.

[0086] Since the inertia of the conveyed object increases as the weight increases, the tendency that the posture change becomes more difficult is higher. According to this structure, since the characteristic value is set to a larger value as the weight of the conveyed object increases, appropriate posture adjustment control is performed according to the weight of the conveyed object, and it is easy to make the posture of the conveyed object closer to the target posture.

[0087] As a technical solution, preferably, the characteristic value is set to continuously or stepwise become a larger value as the area of the conveyed object becomes smaller when viewed in plan.

[0088] Since the contact area between the conveyed object and the first conveyor section and the second conveyor section tends to become smaller as the area in plan view becomes smaller, it is more difficult for the posture of the conveyed object to change. With this configuration, since the characteristic value is set to a larger value as the area in plan view becomes smaller, appropriate posture adjustment control is performed according to the size of the conveyed object, and it is easy to bring the posture of the conveyed object closer to the target posture.

[0089] As one technical solution, preferably, the side where the first conveyor section is arranged with respect to the second conveyor section in the aforementioned conveying width direction is defined as the first side in the conveying width direction, and the opposite side is defined as the second side in the conveying width direction; the first conveyor section is a roller conveyor in which a plurality of first rollers are arranged in the aforementioned conveying direction; the rotation axes of the respective first rollers are inclined so as to face the downstream side in the aforementioned conveying direction as they face the first side in the conveying width direction; the second conveyor section is a roller conveyor in which a plurality of second rollers are arranged in the aforementioned conveying direction; the rotation axes of the respective second rollers are inclined so as to face the downstream side in the aforementioned conveying direction as they face the second side in the conveying width direction.

[0090] With this configuration, in the conveyance of the conveyed object by the posture adjustment conveyor, the conveyed object can be gradually moved to the vicinity of the boundary between the first conveyor section and the second conveyor section, that is, the center side in the conveying width direction of the posture adjustment conveyor. Therefore, in the conveyance of the conveyed object by the posture adjustment conveyor, the position of the conveyed object in the conveying width direction can also be adjusted.

[0091] Industrial Applicability

[0092] The technology related to the present disclosure can be used for a conveyor-type conveying device equipped with a posture adjustment device.

[0093] Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0094] 10: Posture adjustment device

[0095] 11: Conveyed object

[0096] 20: Posture adjustment conveyor

[0097] 21: First conveyor section

[0098] 21u: First upstream section

[0099] 21d: First downstream section

[0100] 22: Second conveyor section

[0101] 22u: Second upstream section

[0102] 22d: Second downstream section

[0103] 23: First roller

[0104] 24: Second roller

[0105] 30u: Upstream posture detection device

[0106] 30m: In-transit posture detection device

[0107] 30d: Downstream posture detection device

[0108] 40: Characteristic determination device

[0109] 42: Measurement unit

[0110] 50: Control device

[0111] 52: Storage unit

[0112] 54: Correction processing unit

[0113] 71: Upstream end

[0114] 72: Downstream end

[0115] H: Characteristic value

[0116] K: Control coefficient

[0117] L1: Long side

[0118] L2: Short side

[0119] S: Posture

[0120] Su: Upstream actual posture

[0121] Sm: In-transit actual posture

[0122] Sd: Downstream actual posture

[0123] Sr: Target posture

[0124] ΔSu: Pre-adjustment posture difference

[0125] ΔSm: In-transit posture difference

[0126] ΔSd: Post-adjustment posture difference

[0127] V1: Conveyor speed of the first conveyor section

[0128] V2: Conveyor speed of the second conveyor section

[0129] ΔV: Speed difference

[0130] ΔVa: Initial speed difference

Claims

1. A posture adjustment device for adjusting the posture of a conveyed object, characterized in that, it comprises: a posture adjustment conveyor for conveying the aforementioned conveyed object along a specified conveying direction and adjusting the posture of the aforementioned conveyed object; a characteristic determination device for determining the characteristics of the aforementioned conveyed object on the upstream side of the aforementioned posture adjustment conveyor; an upstream side posture detection device for detecting the posture of the aforementioned conveyed object at the upstream side end of the aforementioned posture adjustment conveyor; and a control device for controlling the aforementioned posture adjustment conveyor; assuming that the direction orthogonal to the aforementioned conveying direction is the conveying width direction; the aforementioned posture adjustment conveyor is configured to include a first conveyor section and a second conveyor section that are arranged side by side adjacent to each other in the aforementioned conveying width direction, and is capable of making the conveying speed of the aforementioned first conveyor section different from the conveying speed of the aforementioned second conveyor section; the aforementioned control device performs posture adjustment control, and in the posture adjustment control, by controlling the speed difference between the conveying speed of the aforementioned first conveyor section and the conveying speed of the aforementioned second conveyor section, the posture of the aforementioned conveyed object conveyed across both the aforementioned first conveyor section and the aforementioned second conveyor section is changed; assuming that the posture of the aforementioned conveyed object that is the target at the downstream side end of the aforementioned posture adjustment conveyor is the target posture, and the actual posture of the aforementioned conveyed object detected by the aforementioned upstream side posture detection device is the upstream side actual posture; the aforementioned control device, in the aforementioned posture adjustment control, based on the pre-adjustment posture difference and the characteristic value, changes the aforementioned speed difference according to the magnitude of the pre-adjustment posture difference, and increases the aforementioned speed difference as the aforementioned characteristic value becomes larger, where the pre-adjustment posture difference is the difference between the upstream side actual posture and the target posture, and the characteristic value represents the difficulty of posture change corresponding to the characteristics of the aforementioned conveyed object determined by the aforementioned characteristic determination device.

2. The posture adjustment device according to claim 1, characterized in that, it further comprises a downstream side posture detection device for detecting the posture of the aforementioned conveyed object at the downstream side end of the aforementioned posture adjustment conveyor; assuming that the actual posture of the aforementioned conveyed object detected by the aforementioned downstream side posture detection device is the downstream side actual posture; the aforementioned control device comprises: a storage section for storing learning information, where the learning information represents the relationship between the pre-adjustment posture difference, the characteristic value, a control coefficient for determining the aforementioned speed difference based on the pre-adjustment posture difference and the characteristic value, and the post-adjustment posture difference, and the post-adjustment posture difference is the difference between the downstream side actual posture and the target posture as a result of the aforementioned posture adjustment control; and a correction processing section for correcting the aforementioned control coefficient based on the aforementioned learning information stored in the aforementioned storage section.

3. The posture adjustment device according to claim 1, characterized in that, it further comprises a conveyance-in posture detection device for detecting the posture of the aforementioned conveyed object throughout the entire area of the aforementioned posture adjustment conveyor; assuming that the aforementioned speed difference determined based on the pre-adjustment posture difference and the characteristic value is the initial speed difference, and the actual posture of the aforementioned conveyed object detected by the aforementioned conveyance-in posture detection device is the conveyance-in actual posture; After determining the aforementioned initial speed difference, during the conveyance of the aforementioned conveyed object by the aforementioned posture adjustment conveyor, based on the difference between the actual posture during conveyance and the aforementioned target posture, i.e., the posture difference during conveyance, and the aforementioned characteristic value, the aforementioned speed difference is changed according to the magnitude of the aforementioned posture difference during conveyance, and the aforementioned speed difference is changed at any time in such a way that the aforementioned speed difference increases as the aforementioned characteristic value becomes larger.

4. The posture adjustment device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the aforementioned first conveyor section is configured to be able to have different conveyance speeds between an upstream section, i.e., a first upstream section, and a section downstream of the aforementioned first upstream section, i.e., a first downstream section; the aforementioned second conveyor section is configured to be able to have different conveyance speeds between an upstream section, i.e., a second upstream section, and a section downstream of the aforementioned second upstream section, i.e., a second downstream section; among the characteristics of the aforementioned conveyed object determined by the aforementioned characteristic determination device, it includes the size of the long side of the aforementioned conveyed object; in the aforementioned posture adjustment control by the aforementioned control device, when the size of the long side of the aforementioned conveyed object is smaller than a set value, the aforementioned posture adjustment conveyor is controlled to generate a speed difference between the conveyance speed of the aforementioned first upstream section and the conveyance speed of the aforementioned second upstream section and eliminate the speed difference between the conveyance speed of the aforementioned first downstream section and the conveyance speed of the aforementioned second downstream section, and when the size of the long side of the aforementioned conveyed object is equal to or greater than the set value, the aforementioned posture adjustment conveyor is controlled to generate a speed difference between the conveyance speed of the aforementioned first upstream section and the conveyance speed of the aforementioned second upstream section and also generate a speed difference between the conveyance speed of the aforementioned first downstream section and the conveyance speed of the aforementioned second downstream section.

5. The posture adjustment device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the aforementioned characteristic value is set to continuously or periodically become a larger value as the weight of the aforementioned conveyed object becomes larger.

6. The posture adjustment device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the aforementioned characteristic value is set to continuously or periodically become a larger value as the area of the aforementioned conveyed object in a plan view becomes smaller.

7. The posture adjustment device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that assuming that the side on which the aforementioned first conveyor section is arranged with respect to the aforementioned second conveyor section in the aforementioned conveyance width direction is the first side in the conveyance width direction, and the opposite side is the second side in the conveyance width direction; the aforementioned first conveyor section is a roller conveyor in which a plurality of first rollers are arranged in the aforementioned conveyance direction; the rotation axes of the aforementioned first rollers are each inclined in such a way that they face the downstream side in the aforementioned conveyance direction as they face the aforementioned first side in the conveyance width direction; the aforementioned second conveyor section is a roller conveyor in which a plurality of second rollers are arranged in the aforementioned conveyance direction; the rotation axes of the aforementioned second rollers are each inclined in such a way that they face the downstream side in the aforementioned conveyance direction as they face the aforementioned second side in the conveyance width direction.

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