Conveyance system and conveyance method

Abstract

To suppress a load applied on an object to be conveyed without lowering conveyance efficiency, regarding control of a conveyor in which an object to be conveyed is transferred to the conveyor from a conveyance vehicle.SOLUTION: A conveyor device includes a roller mounted rotatably with a guide rail on one end, and a conveyor transfer device which takes in an object to be conveyed by placing the object to be conveyed on the roller. A conveyance vehicle includes a pedestal for loading the object to be conveyed on an upper surface. The pedestal includes a plurality of protrusion structure on a surface coming into contact with the object to be conveyed. Then, those protrusions are arranged so as to be positioned between the plurality of rollers in the conveyor transfer device, when the conveying vehicle moves to the lower side of the conveyor transfer device. The roller in the conveyor transfer device has a slide structure in which, the movement direction of a portion that comes into contact with the object to be conveyed when the object to be conveyed is moved in the conveyance direction is inclined in the advancing direction to the lower side of the conveyor transfer device of the conveyance vehicle with respect to the conveyance direction in which the conveyor device conveys a cargo.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a conveying system and a conveying method, and more particularly to a conveying system and a conveying method suitable for use in reducing the load on the transported object without reducing the transport efficiency, in relation to the control of a conveyor that transfers the transported object from a transport vehicle to a conveyor. [Background technology]

[0002] Traditionally, in inventory-type distribution centers (DCs), when a customer order was received, workers would pick out the product inventory stored in storage boxes on the shelves, pack the items, and ship them out. However, manual work in distribution centers results in an extremely low density of pickers' incoming and outgoing movements per walking distance, which means that the number of orders completed per unit time is also low. This makes the process particularly unsuitable for electronic commerce (EC), which involves many small, multi-item orders, and tends to be costly. For this reason, automation of work is desired, and automation using conveyors and sorters has generally been implemented for transportation and sorting.

[0003] However, when using automated transport equipment such as conveyors and sorters, as the number of destinations for storage boxes increases, the number of branches and transport distances also increases, resulting in a larger floor space for the automated transport equipment, which can lead to problems such as poor space utilization efficiency in logistics centers.In addition, the volume of goods handled fluctuates significantly depending on the season, and because the automated transport equipment, which is made up of conveyors, sorters, etc., is installed in a building, it is difficult to rearrange, resulting in inefficient operation during periods of low volume.

[0004] Therefore, as another method for transporting and allocating storage boxes to arbitrary locations, a method of transporting the storage boxes on a transport vehicle (AGV: Auto Guided Vehicle) has also been used. However, this method requires the storage boxes to be transferred between the AGV and a conveyor, etc., and since this is inefficient when done manually by workers, a method has been proposed in which the storage boxes are transferred from the conveyor to the AGV using a robot arm. Patent Document 1 also discloses a means for transferring storage boxes on the conveyor by providing a slit structure on the AGV that matches the gaps between the rollers of the transport section (FIG. 9A, FIG. 9B, etc.), and moving the AGV up and down directly below the conveyor. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] US Patent Application Publication No. 2022 / 0297936 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] When an AGV transports an object to be transported and transfers it to a conveyor, one possible method is to position the AGV around the conveyor, stop it, and then transfer the object to the conveyor.However, this method requires time to position the AGV on the conveyor and control the stop, as well as time to transfer the object, which can affect the transport efficiency of the transport system using the AGV and conveyor.

[0007] Therefore, in order not to reduce the conveying efficiency of the conveying system, it is possible to use a conveying system in which the AGV continues to move while transferring the object to the conveyor. For example, in the conveying system described in Patent Document 1, a protrusion structure provided on the loading surface of the AGV is configured to slip through the gap on the loading surface of the conveyor, and the conveyed object is transferred onto the conveyor by the AGV moving across under the conveyor. In this case, the AGV can transfer the conveyed object to the conveyor while moving across under the conveyor, and it is possible to suppress a decrease in the conveying efficiency of the conveying system. However, in this case, since the speed of the conveyed object and the moving speed of the conveyor are significantly different, it is necessary to take a large area for the transfer section (see FIG. 5, FIG. 29A, etc.), and there is a problem that the installation area is large. Therefore, a configuration in which the AGV comes into contact with a guide rail provided on the conveyor and is stopped is considered, but if the AGV travels at a speed above a certain level, a bounce occurs when the conveyed object comes into contact with the guide rail, which may actually reduce the load on the conveyed object and the conveying efficiency of the conveying system.

[0008] An object of the present invention is to provide a conveying system and a conveying method that can reduce the load on the transported object without reducing the transport efficiency in relation to the control of a conveyor that transfers the transported object from a transport vehicle to a conveyor. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] The configuration of the conveying system of the present invention is preferably a conveying system including a conveyor device that conveys luggage by a plurality of rollers arranged in parallel on a belt, and a conveying vehicle that conveys the transported object and hands over the transported object to the conveyor device, the conveyor device having a guide rail at one end of the conveyor device, a roller rotatably attached to the guide rail, and a conveyor transfer device that takes in the transported object transported by the conveying vehicle by placing it on the roller, the conveying vehicle has a base for loading the transported object on its upper surface, the base has a plurality of protrusion structures on a surface that contacts the transported object, the protrusions of the plurality of protrusion structures are arranged so as to be positioned between the plurality of rollers in the conveyor transfer device when the conveying vehicle moves under the conveyor transfer device, and the rollers in the conveyor transfer device have a sliding structure such that when the conveyor device moves the transported object in the transport direction, the moving direction of the part of the roller that contacts the transported object is inclined in the direction of entry of the conveying vehicle under the conveyor transfer device, relative to the transport direction in which the conveyor device transports the luggage. Effect of the Invention

[0010] According to the present invention, a conveying system and a conveying method can be provided that can reduce the load on the transported objects without reducing the transport efficiency in relation to the control of a conveyor that transfers the objects from a transport vehicle to a conveyor. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0011] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a hardware and software configuration of a transport system according to a first embodiment. [Figure 2A] FIG. [Figure 2B] FIG. [Diagram 3] 2A to 2C are diagrams illustrating the structure of a roller conveyor of the conveying system of the embodiment 1 and the transfer operation of a conveyed object on the roller conveyor. [Figure 4A] FIG. 1 is a diagram for explaining the structure of a roller conveyor according to a second embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 4B]FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating the structure of the roller conveyor of the second embodiment (part 2). [Diagram 5] 13A to 13C are diagrams illustrating the structure of a roller conveyor of a conveyor device of embodiment 3 and the transfer operation of a conveyed object on the roller conveyor. [Figure 6] 13 is a flowchart showing a process of the conveyor device of the third embodiment. [Figure 7] 13A to 13C are diagrams illustrating the structure of a roller conveyor of a conveying system according to a third embodiment and the transfer operation of an object to be conveyed on the roller conveyor. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0012] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The examples are illustrative for explaining the present invention, and are omitted and simplified as appropriate for clarity of explanation. The present invention can be implemented in various other forms. Unless otherwise limited, each component may be singular or plural. The position, size, shape, range, etc. of each component shown in the drawings may not represent the actual position, size, shape, range, etc., in order to facilitate understanding of the invention. Therefore, the present invention is not necessarily limited to the position, size, shape, range, etc. disclosed in the drawings.

[0013] As examples of various information, the various information may be described using expressions such as "table," "list," and "queue," but the various information may be expressed using data structures other than these. For example, various information such as "XX table," "XX list," and "XX queue" may be expressed as "XX information." When describing identification information, expressions such as "identification information," "identifier," "name," "ID," and "number" are used, but these are mutually interchangeable.

[0014] When there are multiple components having the same or similar functions, they may be described by using the same reference numerals with different subscripts, or when there is no need to distinguish between these multiple components, the subscripts may be omitted.

[0015] In the embodiments, a process performed by executing a program may be described. Here, a computer executes the program using a processor (e.g., CPU, GPU), and performs the process defined by the program while using a storage resource (e.g., memory) and an interface device (e.g., communication port), etc. Therefore, the subject of the process performed by executing the program may be the processor. Similarly, the subject of the process performed by executing the program may be a controller, device, system, computer, or node having a processor. The subject of the process performed by executing the program may be a calculation unit, and may include a dedicated circuit that performs specific processing. Here, the dedicated circuit is, for example, an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array), an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), or a CPLD (Complex Programmable Logic Device), etc.

[0016] The program may be installed in the computer from a program source. The program source may be, for example, a program distribution server or a computer-readable storage medium. When the program source is a program distribution server, the program distribution server may include a processor and a storage resource that stores the program to be distributed, and the processor of the program distribution server may distribute the program to be distributed to other computers. In addition, in the embodiment, two or more programs may be realized as one program, and one program may be realized as two or more programs.

[0017] Hereinafter, each embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.

[0018] [Embodiment 1] Hereinafter, a first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.

[0019] First, the configuration of a transfer system according to the first embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. As shown in FIG. 1, the transport system of this embodiment includes a transport system control device 100, a transport vehicle 1, and a conveyor device 300, all of which are connected via a network 90.

[0020] The transport system control device 100 and the network 90 of the transport vehicle 1 are connected wirelessly via an access point (not shown). The transport system control device 100 and the network 90 of the conveyor device 300 may be connected wirelessly via an access point (not shown) or may be connected by wire.

[0021] The transport system control device 100 issues commands to the transport vehicle 1 and the conveyor device 300 to move the transported object loaded on the transport vehicle 1 to the conveyor device 300, and then controls the conveyor device 300 to transport the object, for example, to a storage position in a warehouse or a position where a worker can pick it up.

[0022] The transport system control device 100 can be realized by a computer including an arithmetic unit 110 , a main memory 120 , an input unit 130 , an output unit 140 , a storage unit 150 , and a communication interface 170 .

[0023] The arithmetic unit 110 is a processor that controls each unit of the transport system control device 100, and loads necessary programs into the main memory 120 and executes them.

[0024] The storage device 150 is a non-volatile storage device such as a hard disk drive (HDD) or a solid state drive (SDD), and stores the programs executed by the arithmetic device 110 and data used by the programs. A route creation program 161, a data input / output program 162, and a carrier control program 163 are installed in the transport system control device 100. The storage device 150 also stores order information data 200, map information data 210, device information data 220, route data 230, and measurement data 240.

[0025] The path creation program 161 is a program that calculates a path along which the transport vehicle 1 moves to the destination conveyor transfer device 340 based on the position of the transported object 400 .

[0026] The data input / output program 162 is a program that receives order information and sensor data from the transport vehicle 1, and outputs information about the transported object 400, etc.

[0027] The vehicle control program 163 instructs the available vehicle 1 to transport the load 400 and the destination based on the route calculated by the route creation program 161 and the state of the vehicle 1.

[0028] The order information data 200 is data on an order requesting the transportation of an item, and is data on the transported object 400 and the box in which the transported object 400 is stored. The reason why the information on the box in which the transported object 400 is stored is included is because it becomes necessary to change the control of the transport vehicle 1 depending on whether the package is a cardboard box or metal, for example. The map information data 210 is data on map information within the warehouse. The device information data 220 is data on the positions and operating status of the transport vehicle 1 and the conveyor transfer device 340. The route data 230 is data on route information for each transport vehicle 1. The measurement data 240 is data on sensor data, position information, etc. received from each transport vehicle 1.

[0029] The input device 130 is, for example, a keyboard, a mouse, a touch panel, etc. The output device 140 is a display, a printer, etc. The communication interface 170 is an interface device for communicating with the transport vehicle 1 and the conveyor via the network 90.

[0030] The transport vehicle 1 is an automatic traveling robot that autonomously transports a transport target 400 in response to a command from a transport system control device 100. The transport vehicle 1 includes a control device 2, a storage device 4, a driving device 7, an on-board sensor 5, and a communication interface 6.

[0031] The control device 2 is composed of an arithmetic unit 21, a main memory 22, and a non-volatile memory 23. A self-location estimation program 24, a driving control program 25, and a communication program 26 are installed in the non-volatile memory 23, and are loaded into the main memory 21 and executed by the arithmetic unit 21. The arithmetic unit 21 is, for example, a processor that executes machine instructions such as a microcomputer, and is a device that performs a predetermined function by executing processing according to the programs of each functional unit. For example, the arithmetic unit 21 performs driving control by executing processing according to the driving control program 25. The same applies to the processing of other programs.

[0032] The self-position estimation program 24 is a program that executes a function of calculating the position of the transport vehicle 1 based on image data of the markers 9 placed on the floor surface acquired by the on-board sensor 5. The driving control program 25 is a program that executes a function of controlling the driving device 7 based on the current position of the transport vehicle 1 and route data received from the transport system control device 100. The communication program 26 is a program that executes a function of communicating with the transport system control device 100 via the network 90.

[0033] The storage device 4 is configured with a storage medium such as a non-volatile flash memory, and stores data used by each program. Examples of the data include route data 41, map information data 42, measurement data 43, and device information data 44.

[0034] The route data 41 is the route data 230 received from the transport system controlling device 100. The map information data 42 is the map information data 210 received from the transport system controlling device 100. The measurement data 43 is sensor data acquired by the on-board sensor 5.

[0035] The device information data 44 is data relating to the identifier and status of the transportation vehicle 1.

[0036] The driving device 7 includes a cart 71, a motor 72, driving wheels 73, and a battery 74. The motor 72 is a mechanism that serves as a power source for driving the driving wheels 73, and the battery 74 supplies electric power to the motor 72.

[0037] The on-board sensor 5 is composed of a camera that photographs the floor, an acceleration sensor that detects vibrations, etc. When position information and route information such as markers 9 are attached to the floor surface, the current position of the transport vehicle 1 can be specified by photographing the floor surface with the camera as the on-board sensor 5 and identifying the markers 9 with the self-position estimation program 24. The acceleration sensor as the on-board sensor 5 can detect vibrations (acceleration) of the transport vehicle 1.

[0038] The conveyor device 300 is a transfer device that receives and transfers the transported object 400 transported by the transport vehicle 1 in response to a command from the transport system control device 100. The conveyor device 300 is composed of a control device 32, a storage device 31, a conveyor transfer device 340, a conveyor transport device 350, a load sensor 330, and a communication interface 30.

[0039] The control device 32 is composed of an arithmetic unit 321, a main memory 322, and a non-volatile memory 323. A roller control program 333 and a communication program 334 are installed in the non-volatile memory 323, and are loaded into the main memory 322 and executed by the arithmetic unit 321. The arithmetic unit 321 is, for example, a processor that executes machine instructions such as a microcomputer.

[0040] The roller control program 333 is a program that executes a function of calculating the roller rotation speed and rotation direction of the conveyor transfer device 340 and the conveyor transport device 350 based on the distance and speed of the transported object 400 detected by the load sensor 330, and the weight and material of the transported object 400 and the box containing the transported object 400. Note that information on the transported object 400 and the box containing the transported object 400 is information received from the transport system control device 100 and recorded in the transported object data 313.

[0041] The communication program 334 is a program that executes a function of communicating with the transport system controlling device 100 via the network 90 .

[0042] The storage device 31 is configured with a storage medium such as a non-volatile flash memory, and stores data used by each program. Examples of the data include device information data 311, measurement data 312, and transported goods data 313.

[0043] The transported object data 313 is data on the weight and material of the transported object 400 and the box in which the transported object 400 is stored, received from the transport system control device 100. The measurement data 312 is sensor data acquired by the inventory sensor 330. The device information data 311 is data on the identifier and status of the conveyor device 300.

[0044] The conveyor transfer driving device 34 is composed of a plurality of rollers 341 and a motor 342. The motor 342 is a mechanism for rotating the rollers 341.

[0045] The conveyor drive device 35 is made up of a plurality of rollers 351 and a motor 352. The motor 352 is a mechanism for rotating the rollers 351.

[0046] The communication interface 30 is an interface device that communicates with the transport system control device 100 and the transport vehicle 1 .

[0047] Next, the appearance and structure of the transport vehicle will be outlined with reference to FIGS. 2A and 2B.

[0048] As shown in FIG. 2A, the transport vehicle 1 of this embodiment is an autonomous traveling device including a rectangular parallelepiped cart 31 that can move straight and turn, and a base 75 that is placed on the upper surface of the cart 31 and that carries the transported object 400.

[0049] A plurality of protruding structures 61 are provided above the base 75. Each protruding structure 61 has a height h 1 and projection width w 1is designed to be larger than the diameter of the passing roller 341, so that when the transport vehicle 1 passes through a conveyor transfer device 340 (described later), the roller 341 (described later) can pass between the transported object 400 and the housing 8. An on-vehicle sensor 5 is installed on the front side of the cart 31, and as shown in the side view of FIG. 2B, the on-vehicle sensor 5 measures the position and attitude of the cart 1 relative to a marker 9 installed on the underside at the front of the cart 1.

[0050] If the vehicle-mounted sensor 5 is a magnetic marker reader, the marker 9 is a magnetic mark, and if the vehicle-mounted sensor 5 is an RF reader, an RF tag is used. The installation position of the marker 9 is not limited to the floor surface as shown in FIG. 2B, but may be a wall surface or ceiling surface. The installation position of the vehicle-mounted sensor 5 is not limited to the front surface of the housing, but may be the bottom surface or top surface of the housing.

[0051] Furthermore, the drive wheels 33 are not limited to ordinary tires that move in one direction, but may be omni-wheels or mecanum wheels that can move in multiple directions.

[0052] Next, the structure of the roller conveyor of the conveyor device of the first embodiment and the transfer operation of the conveyed object on the roller conveyor will be described with reference to FIG. First, the structure of the roller conveyor of the conveyor device will be outlined.

[0053] 3, roller conveyor 360, which is the drive mechanism of conveyor device 300, is configured by connecting conveyor transfer device 340 to which transported object 400 is transferred, and conveyor transport device 350 to transport transferred object 400 to a shelf or the like. Conveyor transfer device 340 has guide rail 380 at one end, and rollers 341 arranged parallel to the belt are rotatably attached to the guide rail. Conveyor transport device 350 has guide rails 380 at both ends, and rollers 351 arranged parallel to the belt are rotatably attached to the guide rails 380 at both ends.

[0054] The conveyor transfer device 340 has a plurality of rollers 341 with a spiral sliding structure 390 attached thereto, which are rotatably installed on a guide rail 380. The spiral sliding structure 390 is, for example, a spiral protrusion structure provided on the surface of the roller 341. A load sensor 330 is also installed on the guide rail 380 to measure the distance to the transported object 400 mounted on the transport vehicle 1. A marker 9 is also installed on the floor surface of the conveyor transfer device 340, and the transport vehicle 1 can perform high-precision positioning relative to the conveyor transfer device 340 using this marker 9.

[0055] The spiral direction of the spiral sliding structures 390 of the multiple rollers 330 is the same, and in this embodiment, is the left-handed direction as viewed from the guide rail 380 (left-handed screw, S-winding).

[0056] The rollers 341 of the conveyor transfer device 340 have their rotation direction and rotation speed controlled based on information such as the weight and dimensions of the transported object 400 from the transport vehicle 1 or the transport system control device 100, and information on the position and speed detected by the load sensor 330.

[0057] The detection of the position of the transported object 400 is not limited to the presence sensor 330, and position information transmitted from the transport vehicle 1 may be used.

[0058] Next, the transfer operation of the transported object of the roller conveyor will be described.

[0059] The transport vehicle 1, with the transported object 400 loaded onto the pedestal 75, moves (in the +X direction) toward the conveyor transfer device 340 while maintaining its Y-axis position and posture based on relative position information with the marker 9 embedded in the floor surface so that the protrusion structure 61 of the pedestal 75 does not come into contact with the roller 341 (Step 1 in Figure 3: state before transfer).

[0060] When the load sensor 330 installed on the guide rail 380 detects that the transported object 400 transported by the transport vehicle 1 has reached the rollers 341 of the conveyor transfer device 340, the conveyor transfer device 340 rotates the rollers 341 in the right turning direction (clockwise direction as viewed from the guide rail 380). When the transport vehicle 1 further advances in the +X direction, the transport vehicle 1 passes under the guide rail 380, but the transported object 400 collides with the guide rail 380 and falls onto the rollers 341.

[0061] In the conventional conveyor transfer device 340, the transferred roller 341 rotates in the right-turning direction, causing sliding between the roller 341 and the transported object 400, and the object 400 is moved in the transport direction (+Y direction), but the reaction force of the collision with the guide rail 380 also causes the object 400 to move in the opposite direction (-X direction) to the guide rail 380. As a result, the object 400 moves in the opposite direction (-X direction) to the guide rail 380 before being transported to the conveyor transport device 350, and falls off the conveyor transfer device or comes into contact with the guide rail 380 of the conveyor transport device 350, causing a transport jam.

[0062] In this embodiment, a left-turning spiral protrusion structure 390 is provided on the roller 341 that contacts the transported object 400. The spiral protrusion structure 390 is a guide mechanism that, when the roller 341 is rotated so as to transport the load in the load transport direction of the conveyor device 300, the direction of movement of the part of the roller 341 surface that contacts the transported object 400 is inclined with respect to the approaching direction of the transported object 400. When the roller 341 having the left-turning spiral protrusion structure is rotated right, the contact surface with the transported object 400 on the roller 341 moves in an upper right diagonal direction (combined component direction of the X-axis and Y-axis), and a frictional force is generated in the transported object 400 in an upper right diagonal direction (combined component direction of the X-axis and Y-axis) (Step 2 in FIG. 3: state after transfer).

[0063] In other words, the rollers 341 in the conveyor transfer device 300 have a sliding structure such that when the conveyor device 300 moves the transported object 400 in the transport direction (+Y direction), the movement direction of the part of the rollers 341 that contacts the transported object 400 is inclined toward the direction in which the transport vehicle 1 enters under the conveyor transfer device 300 (+X direction) relative to the transport direction in which the conveyor device 300 transports the luggage.

[0064] In other words, the direction of roller 341 of left-turning spiral protrusion structure 390 is such that when roller 341 rotates, the sliding force F becomes the resultant force of force Fy in the transport direction of transported object 400 and force Fx in the direction from transported object 400 to the guide rail.

[0065] At this time, the frictional force in the +Y direction has the effect of transporting the transported object 400 in the +Y direction, while the frictional force in the +X direction has the effect of canceling out the inertial energy in the -X direction generated by the reaction force received by the transported object 400 when it collides with the guide rail 380. As a result, the transported object 400 that collides with the guide rail 380 and is bounced in the -X direction has its moving speed in the -X direction attenuated by the frictional force in the +X direction during the process of being transferred in the +Y direction, and finally moves in the +X direction. As a result, the transported object 400 is pressed against the guide rail 380 of the conveyor transfer device 340, and is transported in the direction of the conveyor transport device 350 (+Y direction) with its X-axis position stable. This reduces the bounce back when the transported object comes into contact with the guide rail, and can reduce the load applied to the transported object and the impact on the transport system. Moreover, it is possible to avoid undesirable events such as the object 400 falling off the conveyor transfer device 340 or transport jamming, which were observed in the conveyor transfer device 340 of the prior art.

[0066] The spiral sliding structure 390 on the roller 341 may be a structure in which tape or the like is attached in a spiral shape to a flat roller surface, or a structure in which a spiral groove is formed on a flat roller surface.

[0067] Furthermore, a damper structure that absorbs energy due to a collision may be provided on the guide rail 380 to suppress the reaction caused by the collision of the transported object 400.

[0068] Next, the speed control of the transport vehicle and the rotation control of the rollers by the transport system will be described.

[0069] The frictional force at the contact surface between roller 341 and transported object 400 varies depending on the type and shape of transported object 400, and furthermore, the reaction force received when transported object 400 collides with guide rail 380 varies depending on the transfer speed of transported object 400, the weight of transported object 400, etc.

[0070] The conveyor device 300 uses data such as the speed and weight of the transported object and the material of the box containing the transported object 400 from the transported object data 313 stored in the storage device 31 to calculate the rotation speed of the rollers 341 that can be controlled by the roller control program 333. For example, as a condition for reducing the frictional force between the rollers 341 and the transported object 400, if the transported object 400 is light and has a bottom surface made of a material such as fluororesin, the rotation speed of the rollers 341 is increased.

[0071] On the other hand, the speed at which the transport vehicle 1 enters the conveyor transfer device 340 may be controlled to decelerate depending on the weight, material and shape of the bottom surface, etc. of the transport object 400 loaded on the transport vehicle 1. The flow of the process will be described below.

[0072] When the transport vehicle 1 enters the conveyor transfer device 340, the conveyor device 300 measures the position and speed of the transported object 400 with the load sensor 330 installed in the conveyor transfer section 341. The conveyor device 300 also calculates the allowable approach speed of the transport vehicle 1 with the roller control program 333 using data such as the weight of the transported object 400 and the material of the box in which the transported object 400 is stored from the transported object data 313 stored in the storage device 31. For example, when the friction between the roller 341 and the transported object 400 is small, that is, when the transported object 400 is light and the bottom surface is made of a material such as fluororesin, and it is determined that the measured approach speed exceeds the allowable speed, the conveyor device 300 issues an instruction to the transport vehicle 1 via the network 90 to reduce the approach speed.

[0073] This suppresses the reaction force generated when the transported object 400 collides with the guide rail 380, and prevents the transported object 400 from exceeding the range that can be controlled by the roller 341 having the spiral sliding structure 390 of the conveyor transfer device 340, causing the transported object 400 to fall from the conveyor transfer device 340 or become uncontrollable.

[0074] In the above description, an example has been described in which the conveyor device 300 controls the speed of the transport vehicle and the rotation of the rollers, but the transport system control device 100 may also control these.

[0075] As described above, according to the conveying system of this embodiment, the conveyor transfer device 340 can be installed connected to the conveyor conveying device 350 without preparing a separate special area for loading the object onto the conveyor conveying device 350, thereby saving space. At the same time, the sliding force generated between the spiral sliding structure 390 provided on the roller 341 and the object 400 can prevent undesirable events such as the object 400 falling off the conveyor transfer device 340 or jamming of the conveyor.

[0076] [Embodiment 2] Hereinafter, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 4A and 4B.

[0077] In the first embodiment, a conveying system is described in which the spiral sliding structure 390 is provided on the rollers 341 of the conveyor device 300, thereby preventing events such as the object 400 falling off the conveyor transfer device 340 and jamming during conveying.

[0078] In this embodiment, a structure of a roller 341 of a conveyor device 300 that can obtain the same effects as in embodiment 1 will be described. The following mainly describes the differences from embodiment 1.

[0079] The roller conveyor 360 of this embodiment is similar to that of embodiment 1 in that it is configured by connecting a conveyor transfer device 340 to which the transported object 400 is transferred and a conveyor transport device 350 that transports the transferred transported object 400 to a shelf or the like, but the structure of the rollers 341 is different.

[0080] The roller 343 of the conveyor device 300 of this embodiment has a structure inclined in the Y-axis direction as shown in Fig. 4A. That is, the tip of the roller 343, which is the part where the transport vehicle 1 enters under the conveyor transfer device 340, is located at a position advanced in the Y-axis direction from one end part attached to the guide rail 380. As a result, when the roller 343 is rotated so as to transport the luggage in the luggage transport direction of the conveyor device 300, the direction of movement of the part where the surface of the roller 343 comes into contact with the transported object 400 is inclined with respect to the entrance direction of the transported object 400. Then, a force acts on the contact surface between the roller 343 and the transported object 400 to slide in a diagonally upward right direction (a composite component direction of the X-axis and Y-axis).

[0081] 4B, the diameter of the roller 344 of the conveyor transfer device 340 may be tapered in the direction (+X direction) in which the transport vehicle 1 enters under the conveyor transfer device 340. That is, the diameter of the roller 344 at one end attached to the guide rail 380 is linearly smaller in the X-axis direction than the diameter of the tip of the roller 343.

[0082] In this case, the moving speed of the tangent where roller 344 comes into contact with transported object 400 is slower at the base than at the tip, so a sliding force acts on transported object 400 in a direction inclined to the rotation axis of roller 344 (the combined component direction of the X and Y axes).

[0083] This configuration reduces the bounce back of the transported object when it comes into contact with the guide rail, as in the sliding structure of embodiment 1, and can reduce the load applied to the transported object and the impact on the transport system. Therefore, this can be used as an alternative to the sliding structure described in embodiment 1.

[0084] [Embodiment 3] Hereinafter, a third embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.

[0085] In the first embodiment, a conveying system is described in which the spiral sliding structure 390 is provided on the rollers 341 of the conveyor device 300, thereby preventing events such as the object 400 falling off the conveyor transfer device 340 and jamming during conveying.

[0086] This embodiment also relates to a transport system that solves a similar problem, in which the conveyor device 300 performs more detailed control to prevent events such as the transported object 400 falling from the conveyor transfer device 340 or transport jams.

[0087] In the roller conveyor 360 of the conveyor device 300 of this embodiment, a reverse running prevention plate 370 is provided at an end of the conveyor transfer device 340 that faces in the opposite direction to the conveying direction of the transported object 400. The reverse running prevention plate 370 is provided at a predetermined position on the conveyor transfer device 340 to prevent the transported object 400 from moving beyond a predetermined position in the opposite direction to the direction in which the load is transported by the conveyor device.

[0088] The transported object 400 transferred onto the rollers 341 of the conveyor transfer device 340 of the conveyor device 300 of this embodiment moves toward the guide rail 380 (+X direction) due to the inertial force during transport by the transport vehicle 1. Meanwhile, the conveyor device 300 rotates the rollers 341 left (counterclockwise when viewed from the guide rail 380), so that the transported object 400 receives a sliding force in a diagonally downward left direction (combined component direction of the X and Y axes) (Step 1 in FIG. 5: transported object transfer). The left rotation is the opposite direction to the rotation direction of the rollers 341 when the conveyor device transports the object in the transport direction of the luggage.

[0089] As a result, the transported object 400 moves in a diagonally downward right direction (the direction of the composite component of the X and Y axes), collides with the reverse travel prevention plate 370 while decelerating, and then moves toward the guide rail 380 (+X direction) (Step 2 in FIG. 5: deceleration). When the load sensor 330 detects that the transported object 400 has collided with the guide rail 380, the conveyor device 300 switches the rotation direction of the rollers 341 to the opposite direction, turning right (clockwise when viewed from the guide rail 380). The turning right is the rotation direction of the rollers 341 when transporting the object in the transport direction of the object by the conveyor device.

[0090] As a result, a sliding force is generated in the upper right direction (the combined component direction of the X and Y axes) on the transported object 400, and the transported object 400 moves along the guide rail 380 toward the conveyor transport device 350 (+Y direction) while the reaction force generated by the collision with the guide rail 380 is suppressed (Step 3: Transport in Figure 5).

[0091] The above control reduces the impact of collision with guide rail 380 at the initial stage when transport vehicle 1 loads transported object 400 onto conveyor transfer device 340, and after transported object 400 decelerates while colliding with reverse travel prevention plate 370 and reaches guide rail 380, the rotation direction of roller 341 switches and a sliding force acts on transported object 400 in the opposite direction, so that transported object 400 is pressed against guide rail 380, achieving stable transport on roller conveyor 360.

[0092] Next, the process of the conveyor device will be described with reference to FIG. In the conveyor transfer device 340 of this embodiment, the transported object 400 comes into contact with and is transferred by the rollers 341 before colliding with the guard rail 380. Therefore, the transported object 400 that has been transferred moves on the rollers 341 toward the guide rail 380 (+X direction), and the moving speed changes due to frictional force according to the rotation direction and speed of the rollers 341.

[0093] The load sensor 330 installed on the conveyor transfer device 340 measures the position and speed of the load 400 carried on the approaching transport vehicle 1 (S01).

[0094] The conveyor device 300 determines whether the speed of the transported object 400 is less than the speed limit (S02), and if the speed of the transported object 400 is equal to or greater than the speed limit (S02: NO), it instructs the transport vehicle 1 to slow down via communication (S03), and if the speed of the transported object 400 is less than the speed limit (S02: YES), it goes to S04.

[0095] Next, when the conveyor device 300 determines that the transported object 400 has arrived at the position of the conveyor transfer device 340 (S04: YES), it determines the rotational speed in the left turning direction of the rollers 341 from the measured speed of the transported object 400 and the weight and material of the transported object 400 stored in the transported object data 313 (S05), and controls the rotation of the rollers 341 accordingly (S06, Step 1 in Figure 5: transport of transported object).

[0096] Next, when the conveyor device 300 determines that the position of the transported object 400 transferred to the conveyor transfer device 340 has reached the guide rail 380 by the load sensor 330 (S07), it switches the roller 341 to rotate in the right direction (S08, Step 2: deceleration in Figure 5, Step 3: deceleration).

[0097] [Embodiment 4] A fourth embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIG.

[0098] In the first and third embodiments, examples have been described in which the speed of the transported object 400 is controlled by providing the roller with a spiral sliding structure.

[0099] In the conveyor device 300 of this embodiment, the conveyor transfer device 340 is installed in a different manner relative to the rollers.

[0100] In the conveyor device 300 of embodiment 1, the rollers 341 are oriented horizontally relative to the floor surface, but in this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 7, the rollers 345 are oriented at an angle relative to the floor surface, providing a gradient in the direction in which the transported object 400 enters.

[0101] When the states of the conveyor transfer device 340 and the transported object 400 are shown over time as the rollers 345 are installed at an angle to the floor surface and the transported object 400 is transferred, they are shown in order in Step 1, Step 2, and Step 3 in Fig. 7. The rollers 345 of the conveyor transfer device 340 are inclined so that the height of the tip where the transport vehicle 1 enters under the conveyor transfer device 340 is lower than the other end. In other words, one end of the rollers 345 attached to the guide rail 380 is higher, and the tip of the rollers 345 is lower.

[0102] In the conveyor device 300 of this embodiment, the transported object 400 transported by the transport vehicle 1 comes into contact with the inclined roller 345 before colliding with the guide rail 380 of the conveyor transfer device 340 (Step 1 in FIG. 7: transport vehicle / roller intersection).

[0103] The transported object 400 slides in the transfer direction (+X direction) on the surface of the roller 345, which has a gradient due to the inertial force (+X direction) during transport, and the height from the floor surface increases (moves in the +Z direction) due to the gradient of the roller 345 (Step 2: Transported object transfer, Step 3: Transported object position movement in FIG. 7). When the height of the transported object 400 from the floor surface increases, a part of the kinetic energy of the transported object 400 is converted into potential energy, so that the kinetic energy when the transported object 400 collides with the guide rail 380 and the repulsive force due to the collision can be suppressed, and the position of the transported object 400 can be easily controlled by the sliding force generated by the rotation of the roller 345. That is, as with the sliding structure of the first embodiment, the bounce back when the transported object contacts the guide rail is reduced, and the load applied to the transported object and the impact on the transport system can be reduced. Therefore, it can be used as an alternative to the sliding structure described in the first embodiment. Furthermore, as the transported object 400 slides on the rollers 345 before coming into contact with the guide rail 380, the effect of converting kinetic energy into frictional energy can be expected. [Explanation of symbols]

[0104] 1...transport vehicle, 2...control device, 3...driving device, 4...storage device, 5...vehicle-mounted sensor, 6...communication interface, 7...driving device, 8...casing, 9...marker, 21...arithmetic unit, 22...main memory, 23...non-volatile memory, 24...self-position estimation program, 25...travel control program, 26...communication program, 41...route data, 42...map information data, 43...measurement data, 44...device information data, 71...cart, 72...motor, 73...driving wheel, 74...battery, 75...base, 90…Network, 100...Transportation system control device, 110...Calculation device, 120...Main memory, 130...Input device, 140...Output device, 161...Route creation program, 162...Data input / output program, 163...Transportation vehicle control program, 170...Communication interface, 200...Order information data, 210...Map information data, 220...Device information data, 230...Route data, 240...Measurement data, 300... conveyor device, 30... communication interface, 31... storage device, 32... control device, 33... load sensor, 34... conveyor transfer drive device, 35... conveyor transport drive device, 311... device information data, 312... measurement data, 313... transported object data, 330... load sensor, 333... roller control program, 340... conveyor transfer device, 341, 343, 344, 345... roller, 342... motor, 350... conveyor transport device, 351... roller, 352... motor, 360... roller conveyor, 370... reverse running prevention plate, 380... guide rail, 390... spiral sliding structure, 400...Transported object

Claims

1. A conveyor device that conveys luggage by a plurality of rollers arranged in parallel on a belt; A transport vehicle that transports an object to be transported and delivers the object to the conveyor device, The conveyor device is The conveyor includes a guide rail provided at one end of the conveyor device, rollers rotatably attached to the guide rail, and a conveyor transfer device that takes in the transported object transported by the transport vehicle by placing the transported object on the rollers, the transport vehicle has a base on an upper surface for carrying the transported object, the base has a plurality of protrusion structures on a surface that comes into contact with the object to be transferred, The protrusions of the plurality of protrusion structures are arranged so as to be positioned between the plurality of rollers of the conveyor transfer device when the transport vehicle moves under the conveyor transfer device, The rollers in the conveyor transfer device have a sliding structure in which, when the conveyor device moves the transported object in the transport direction, the movement direction of the part of the roller that contacts the transported object is inclined in the direction in which the transport vehicle enters under the conveyor transfer device with respect to the transport direction in which the conveyor device transports the luggage. A transport system comprising:

2. The sliding structure of the roller is any one of a spiral protrusion structure provided on the surface of the roller, a structure in which a tape is attached in a spiral shape to the surface of the roller, and a spiral groove structure provided on the surface of the roller.

2. The transport system according to claim 1.

3. The sliding structure of the roller is such that the tip of the roller, which is the part where the transport vehicle enters under the conveyor transfer device, is in a position advanced in the transport direction in which the conveyor device transports the luggage with respect to one end of the roller attached to the guide rail, and the roller is attached to the guide rail at an angle.

2. The transport system according to claim 1.

4. The conveyor device determines the rotation speed of the rollers based on the state of the conveyed object.

2. The transport system according to claim 1.

5. The transport vehicle determines an approach speed of the transport vehicle to a position below the conveyor transfer device based on a state of the transported object.

2. The transport system according to claim 1.

6. The conveyor device is The conveyor transfer device is rotated so that the conveyor transfer device rotates the rollers of the conveyor transfer device in a direction opposite to the direction of rotation of the baggage until the transported object contacts the guide rail after the transport vehicle enters under the conveyor transfer device from one end thereof and places the transported object on the rollers of the conveyor transfer device. After the transported object comes into contact with the guide rail, the rollers of the conveyor transfer device are rotated in a rotation direction that moves the object in the transport direction.

2. The transport system according to claim 1.

7. The conveyor transfer device has a reverse travel prevention plate at a predetermined position on the conveyor transfer device to prevent the transported object from moving beyond the predetermined position in a direction opposite to the transport direction of the object by the conveyor device.

7. The transport system according to claim 6.

8. A conveyor device that conveys luggage by a plurality of rollers arranged in parallel on a belt; A transport vehicle that transports an object to be transported and delivers the object to the conveyor device, The conveyor device is The conveyor includes a guide rail provided at one end of the conveyor device, rollers rotatably attached to the guide rail, and a conveyor transfer device that takes in the transported object transported by the transport vehicle by placing the transported object on the rollers, the transport vehicle has a base on an upper surface for carrying the transported object, the base has a plurality of protrusion structures on a surface that comes into contact with the object to be transferred, The protrusions of the plurality of protrusion structures are arranged so as to be positioned between the plurality of rollers of the conveyor transfer device when the transport vehicle moves under the conveyor transfer device, The plurality of rollers in the conveyor transfer device have a tapered structure in which the diameter of the rollers linearly decreases from the tip of the roller, which is the portion where the transport vehicle enters under the conveyor transfer device, to the one end attached to the guide rail. A transport system comprising:

9. A conveyor device that conveys luggage by a plurality of rollers arranged in parallel on a belt; A transport vehicle that transports the transported object and transfers the transported object to the conveyor device, The conveyor includes a guide rail provided at one end of the conveyor device, rollers rotatably attached to the guide rail, and a conveyor transfer device that takes in the transported object transported by the transport vehicle by placing the transported object on the rollers, the transport vehicle has a base on an upper surface for carrying the transported object, the base has a plurality of protrusion structures on a surface that comes into contact with the object to be transferred, The protrusions of the plurality of protrusion structures are arranged so as to be positioned between the plurality of rollers of the conveyor transfer device when the transport vehicle moves under the conveyor transfer device, A conveying system characterized in that the rollers in the conveyor transfer device have a tip end, where the transport vehicle enters under the conveyor transfer device, that is lower in height than the end attached to the guide rail.

10. A conveyor device that conveys luggage by a plurality of rollers arranged in parallel on a belt; A transport vehicle that transports an object to be transported and transfers the object to the conveyor device, The conveyor device is The conveyor includes a guide rail provided at one end of the conveyor device, rollers rotatably attached to the guide rail, and a conveyor transfer device that takes in the transported object transported by the transport vehicle by placing the transported object on the rollers, the transport vehicle has a base on an upper surface for carrying the transported object, the base has a plurality of protrusion structures on a surface that comes into contact with the object to be transferred, The protrusions of the plurality of protrusion structures are arranged so as to be positioned between the plurality of rollers of the conveyor transfer device when the transport vehicle moves under the conveyor transfer device, The rollers in the conveyor transfer device have a sliding structure in which, when the conveyor device moves the transported object in a transport direction, the movement direction of the part of the roller that contacts the transported object is inclined in a direction in which the transport vehicle enters under the conveyor transfer device with respect to the transport direction in which the conveyor device transports the luggage, placing the object transported by the transport vehicle from one end of the conveyor transfer device on a roller of the conveyor transfer device; and a step of moving the object by rollers of the conveyor transfer device.

11. In the step of moving the object by the rollers of the conveyor transfer device, Rotating a roller of the conveyor transfer device in a rotation direction when the baggage is transported in a transport direction of the conveyor device; Before the step of moving the transported object by the rollers of the conveyor transfer device, the method further includes a step of rotating the rollers of the conveyor transfer device in a direction opposite to a rotation direction of the rollers when the load is transported in a transport direction of the load by the conveyor device.

11. The method according to claim 10.

12. When the transported object reaches the guide rail, a step of rotating the rollers of the conveyor transfer device in a direction opposite to a rotation direction of the rollers when the object is transported in a transport direction of the conveyor device by the object is performed.

12. The method according to claim 11 .

13. The conveying method according to claim 11, characterized in that the conveyor transfer device has a reverse travel prevention plate at a predetermined position on the conveyor transfer device to prevent the transported object from moving beyond the predetermined position in a direction opposite to the direction in which the conveyor device transports the luggage.

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