Article storage facility
By detecting and controlling the weight and size of the item on the storage conveyor belt, and using the item's own gravity and buffer unit, the problem of lightweight items is solved, efficient storage and transportation is achieved, and equipment costs are reduced.
Patent Information
- Application Number
- JP2023122160
- Authority / Receiving Office
- JP · JP
- Patent Type
- Applications
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Filing Date
- 2023-07-27
- Publication Date
- 2025-02-06
- Estimated Expiration
- 2043-07-27
AI Technical Summary
In the prior art, lightweight items tend to stay on slopes during storage and transportation, resulting in the inability to be fully transported from the storage conveyor belt, and the additional pushing devices increase equipment cost and complexity.
The storage conveyor belt system with buffering unit and control unit is adopted. By detecting and controlling the weight and size of items on the conveyor belt, the gravity and buffering unit of the items are used to temporarily store specific items, ensuring the smooth transportation of all items and reducing dependence on the pushing device.
The smooth transportation of all items is achieved, the cost of equipment is reduced, and the storage and transportation efficiency is improved, avoiding the need for additional pushing devices.
Smart Images
Figure 2025018453000001_ABST
Abstract
Description
[Technical field]
[0001] The present invention relates to an item storage facility including a storage conveyor that stores a plurality of items in a line along a predetermined transport direction, and a loading device that loads the items onto the storage conveyor. [Background technology]
[0002] For example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 10-175708 (Patent Document 1) discloses a technique related to an article storage facility. In the following description of the background art, the reference numerals in parentheses refer to those in Patent Document 1.
[0003] The article transport facility (logistics center) of Patent Document 1 includes a carry-in device (carry-in mechanism 1) and a storage conveyor (storage mechanism 3) that stores a plurality of articles (baggage a) in a line. The storage conveyor is arranged at an incline downward from the upstream end connected to the carry-in device toward the downstream end. The storage conveyor is also configured so that the plurality of articles move downstream in the transport direction under their own weight, thereby allowing the plurality of articles to be carried out from the storage conveyor. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]
[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 10-175708 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]
[0005] In the article storage facility as described above, when articles are removed from the storage conveyor, relatively light articles may get stuck on the inclined surface of the storage conveyor, and it may not be possible to properly remove all of the articles from the storage conveyor. For this reason, in the article storage facility of Patent Document 1, a push bucket (30) is placed at the very end of the multiple articles lined up on the storage conveyor, and the force of the push bucket (30) pushing the articles downstream from it is used to remove all of the articles from the storage conveyor without them getting stuck. On the other hand, in the article storage facility of Patent Document 1, it is necessary to place the push bucket (30), which is not originally intended for storage, on each of the multiple storage conveyors, so there is room for improvement in terms of the efficiency of storing and transporting articles.
[0006] Therefore, there is a demand for an article storage facility that can properly remove all of the articles stored in a row on a storage conveyor and that can easily increase the efficiency of storing and transporting the articles. [Means for solving the problem]
[0007] The present disclosure relates to an item storage facility including a storage conveyor that stores a plurality of items in a line along a predetermined conveying direction, and a loading device that loads the items onto the storage conveyor, the storage conveyor is disposed at an incline downward from the upstream end connected to the carry-in device toward the downstream end, and is provided with a stopper at the downstream end for restricting movement of the articles, and is configured such that when the stopper is released, the articles move toward the downstream side in the conveying direction by their own weights, the loading device includes a transport mechanism for transporting the item, a determination unit for determining that the item, at least one of a weight and a size of which is equal to or greater than a predetermined determination threshold, is a specific item, a buffer unit for temporarily storing the specific item, and a control unit; The control unit controls the transport mechanism. a buffer conveying process of conveying the specific item to the buffer unit based on a result of the determination by the determination unit; A general conveying process for conveying general items other than the specific items to the storage conveyor; A specific transport process is executed to transport the specific item from the buffer section to the storage conveyor, while the stopper restricts the movement of the item on the storage conveyor, so that at least the item located most upstream among the multiple items stored on the storage conveyor becomes the specific item.
[0008] According to this configuration, a specific item whose weight or size is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold value is placed at least on the most upstream side of the multiple items stored on the storage conveyor, so that when the stopper is released and the items move, the specific item pushes the items downstream from it from the upstream side. Therefore, when the stopper is released, all the items stored on the storage conveyor can be appropriately moved downstream. In addition, the need for a separate drive mechanism for forcibly moving the items can be reduced, which makes it easier to reduce the cost of the item storage facility. In addition, according to this configuration, multiple items determined to be specific items can be temporarily stored in the buffer section by the buffer transport process and the specific transport process, and the specific items can be transported from the buffer section to the storage conveyor at the required timing, so that the transport of specific items is less likely to interfere with the transport of general items by the general transport process. Furthermore, according to this configuration, a portion of the multiple items stored on the storage conveyor is arranged as specific items, which makes it easier to improve the storage and transportation efficiency of the items compared to, for example, the arrangement of a push-out bucket or the like that is not originally intended for storage. Thus, according to this configuration, all of the items stored in a row on the storage conveyor can be properly removed, and the efficiency of storing and transporting the items can be easily improved.
[0009] Further features and advantages of the article storage facility will become apparent from the following description of exemplary and non-limiting embodiments, which are illustrated with reference to the drawings, in which: [Brief description of the drawings]
[0010] [Figure 1] FIG. 3 is a plan view showing a schematic diagram of a loading device; [Diagram 2] FIG. 1 is a plan view showing a storage conveyor, a loading device, and a unloading device; [Diagram 3] FIG. 3 is a plan view showing a schematic diagram of the ejection device; [Figure 4] FIG. 1 is a side view showing a schematic diagram of a storage conveyor having multiple tiers and items stored on the storage conveyor; [Diagram 5] FIG. 1 is a plan view showing the downstream end of the storage conveyor; [Figure 6] Control Block Diagram [Figure 7] Control Flow Diagram DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0011] An embodiment of an article storage facility will be described with reference to the drawings. As shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, the article storage facility 100 includes a storage conveyor 1 for storing a plurality of articles W arranged along a predetermined conveying direction X, and a carry-in device 2 for carrying the articles W into the storage conveyor 1. In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2 and FIG. 3, the article storage facility 100 further includes a carry-out device 4 and a control device 10. The article storage facility 100 also includes a plurality of storage conveyors 1. For example, various products produced in a factory or the like are carried to the article storage facility 100 by trucks. Then, inside the article storage facility 100, the carried products are stored and the products are sorted to their respective shipping destinations. Then, the sorted products are delivered from the article storage facility 100 to their respective shipping destinations by trucks. In this example, the products are stored in the articles W. Therefore, the articles W are containers such as cartons. The types of products stored in the articles W are not limited, but examples include daily necessities, foodstuffs, machine parts, and the like. In this example, the articles W are rectangular parallelepipeds and are of various sizes. As shown in Fig. 4, the multiple articles W arranged on the storage conveyor 1 include relatively small and large articles.
[0012] In this example, the loading device 2 loads multiple items W transported from outside the item storage facility 100 onto each of multiple storage conveyors 1. The storage conveyor 1 stores the loaded items W. The unloading device 4 receives the items W unloaded from each of the multiple storage conveyors 1. In this manner, the loading device 2 and the unloading device 4 are connected to the storage conveyor 1. In the following, the direction in which the items W move on the storage conveyor 1 (the direction along the conveying surface of the storage conveyor 1) is referred to as the conveying direction X. Also, the direction perpendicular to the conveying direction X when viewed from the top-bottom direction is referred to as the width direction Y.
[0013] 2, 4 and 5, the storage conveyor 1 is disposed so as to incline downward from the upstream end 11 connected to the carry-in device 2 toward the downstream end 12, and is provided with a stopper 13 at the downstream end 12 for restricting the movement of the articles W, and is configured so that when the stopper 13 is released, the articles W move downstream in the conveying direction X under their own weight. Also, as shown in FIG. 2, an unloading device 4 is connected to the downstream end 12 of the storage conveyor 1.
[0014] As shown in Figs. 2 and 4, the article storage facility 100 has a plurality of storage conveyors 1 arranged in a line in the width direction Y and the vertical direction. Each of the plurality of storage conveyors 1 is inclined downward from the upstream end 11 to the downstream end 12. In this example, the number of storage conveyors 1 installed in the article storage facility 100 is assumed to be several tens to several hundreds, but is not limited to this. The number of storage conveyors 1 installed can be appropriately changed depending on the number of articles W that can be stored in the article storage facility 100. In the illustrated example, some of the plurality of storage conveyors 1 are extracted and described in order to easily explain the configuration of the article storage facility 100.
[0015] In this example, as shown in FIG. 5, the storage conveyor 1 is a roller conveyor. This roller conveyor is a so-called free roller conveyor, and is not provided with a drive source for rotating and driving each roller. Since the storage conveyor 1 is inclined as described above, when an article W is placed on the upstream end 11, the article W moves downstream in the conveying direction X on the conveying surface (inclined surface) of the roller conveyor by its own weight. The storage conveyor 1 may be a ball roller conveyor (a conveyor with spherical rollers), and a sliding plate may be provided instead of the rollers. In the example of FIG. 4, a plurality of inclined storage conveyors 1 (three in this example) are provided, and are arranged in parallel to each other. In FIG. 4, for easy understanding, the midstream portion of the storage conveyor 1 is omitted, and only the upstream portion including the upstream end 11 and the downstream portion including the downstream end 12 are shown. In FIG. 4, the downstream portion is shown at a position where the upstream portion is extended downstream, assuming that there is no difference in elevation between both ends of the omitted midstream portion.
[0016] As shown in Figs. 2 and 5, the stopper 13 is provided at the downstream end 12 of the storage conveyor 1. The stopper 13 is configured to be able to freely change its position between a restricting state in which the movement of the article W is restricted and a releasing state in which the restriction on the movement of the article W is released. In the example of Fig. 5, the stopper 13 is disposed between two rollers aligned in the conveying direction X. In the restricting state, the stopper 13 is disposed above the conveying surface of the storage conveyor 1, and in the releasing state, the stopper 13 is disposed below the conveying surface. In the example of Fig. 2, the stopper 13 in the restricting state restricts the movement of multiple articles W aligned on the storage conveyor 1 in the conveying direction X. The change in position of the stopper 13 is controlled by the control device 10.
[0017] As shown in Figs. 1 to 3, a carrying-in device 2 is connected to the upstream end 11 of each of the multiple storage conveyors 1. Also, a carrying-out device 4 is connected to the downstream end 12 of each of the multiple storage conveyors 1. Here, the article storage facility 100 of this example has three floors (a first floor F1, a second floor F2, and a third floor F3). The carrying-out device 4 is provided across the first floor F1 and the second floor F2. The carrying-in device 2 and the storage conveyors 1 are provided across the second floor F2 and the third floor F3. In the example of the article storage facility 100 shown in the figure, the first floor is the first floor F1, the second floor is the second floor F2, and the third floor is the third floor F3.
[0018] 2 and 3, the discharge device 4 includes an output conveying section 41 connected to the downstream end 12 of each of the multiple storage conveyors 1, and multiple sorter conveyors 43 branching off from the output conveying section 41. In this example, the output conveying section 41 is a conveyor that conveys multiple items W in a line. The output conveying section 41 receives the items W from the multiple storage conveyors 1 and conveys them to one of the multiple sorter conveyors 43. The items W conveyed to the multiple sorter conveyors 43 are loaded onto, for example, a shipping truck.
[0019] In this example, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3, the unloading conveying section 41 is provided across the first floor F1 and the second floor F2. In the example of Figs. 2 and 3, the upstream part of the unloading conveying section 41 (here, a conveyor) is arranged on the second floor F2 along the width direction Y, and is connected to the downstream end 12 of each of the multiple storage conveyors 1 via the transfer device 51. In the example of Fig. 2, the transfer device 51 is a conveyor arranged continuously from the downstream end 12 of the storage conveyor 1. In the example of Fig. 4, a plurality of transfer devices 51 are arranged so as to be aligned in the vertical direction corresponding to the multiple stages of the storage conveyors 1. Each transfer device 51 (here, a conveyor) is arranged so as to be continuous from each of the multiple stages of the storage conveyors 1. The transfer device 51 may also be a transport vehicle that moves between the unloading conveying section 41 and each storage conveyor 1 along the width direction Y. In this way, the configuration of the transfer device 51 can be changed appropriately depending on the arrangement of the multiple storage conveyors 1.
[0020] 2 and 3, the downstream portion of the unloading conveying section 41 is disposed along the width direction Y on the first floor F1. A plurality of sorter conveyors 43 branch off from the downstream portion of the unloading conveying section 41. A midstream portion connecting the upstream portion and the downstream portion of the unloading conveying section 41 is provided across the first floor F1 and the second floor F2. In the example of FIG. 3, the plurality of sorter conveyors 43 are provided along the conveying direction X and aligned in the width direction Y. A shipping truck can stop at a position corresponding to each of the plurality of sorter conveyors 43 (here, a position adjacent to the downstream end of the sorter conveyor 43).
[0021] 1 and 2, the carrying-in device 2 includes a conveying mechanism 20 for conveying an item W, a determination unit 25 for determining that an item W having at least one of its weight and size equal to or greater than a predetermined determination threshold Q is a specific item Wt, a buffer unit 26 for temporarily storing the specific item Wt, and a control unit H. In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 6, the determination unit 25 and control unit H are provided in the control device 10. That is, in this embodiment, the determination unit 25 and control unit H provided in the carrying-in device 2 are realized by the functions of the control device 10. The carrying-in device 2 further includes a measuring device 24 and a reading device 27.
[0022] 1 and 2, the conveying mechanism 20 includes a first conveying section 21 in which a judgment location 28 where judgment is performed by the judgment unit 25 is set, and a second conveying section 22 and a third conveying section 23 branching off from the first conveying section 21 downstream of the judgment location 28. In this example, each of the first conveying section 21, the second conveying section 22, and the third conveying section 23 is a conveyor that conveys an article W.
[0023] In this example, a plurality of conveyors are provided in the upstream portion of the first conveyor 21. A judgment point 28 is set on each conveyor. The downstream portion of the first conveyor 21 is a conveying path where these plurality of conveyors join. The second conveyor 22 and the third conveyor 23 are connected to branch off from the downstream end of the first conveyor 21. Therefore, the article W that has moved through the first conveyor 21 branches off and moves to the second conveyor 22 or the third conveyor 23. Each of the plurality of conveyors can also be the first conveyor 21. In this case, the second conveyor 22 and the third conveyor 23 branch off from the portion where the plurality of first conveyors 21 join on the downstream side. In the example of FIG. 1, the plurality of conveyors that constitute the upstream portion of the first conveyor 21 are arranged along the conveying direction X and in the width direction Y. A judgment point 28 is set on the upstream end of each conveying path. The judgment point 28 is a location where the measuring device 24 is provided. The downstream portion of the first transport section 21 is disposed along the width direction Y. In the illustrated example, the first transport section 21 is provided on the second floor F2. In addition, the multiple conveyors constituting the upstream portion of the first transport section 21 are adapted to allow incoming trucks to stop there.
[0024] As shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, the second conveying section 22 (here, a conveyor) connects the downstream end of the first conveying section 21 and each of the upstream ends 11 of the multiple storage conveyors 1. The upstream portion of the second conveying section 22 is arranged along the width direction Y. Therefore, the item W that has moved through the first conveying section 21 is directly conveyed to the upstream portion of the second conveying section 22. The downstream portion of the second conveying section 22 is arranged along the width direction Y and is connected to each of the upstream ends 11 of the multiple storage conveyors 1. Therefore, the item W that has moved through the second conveying section 22 is conveyed to one of the multiple storage conveyors 1. In the example of FIG. 2, the downstream portion of the second conveying section 22 branches out so as to correspond to each of the upstream ends 11 of the multiple storage conveyors 1. In this example, each of the branched downstream portions of the second conveying section 22 is connected to the corresponding upstream ends 11. 4, the respective branched downstream portions of the second transport section 22 are arranged in a vertical line to correspond to the multiple stages of the storage conveyors 1. In this manner, the configuration of the downstream portion of the second transport section 22 can be appropriately changed according to the arrangement of the multiple storage conveyors 1.
[0025] The downstream end of the third conveyor 23 is connected to the midstream portion connecting the upstream portion and the downstream portion of the second conveyor 22. In this embodiment, as described later, the third conveyor 23 functions as a buffer portion 26. Therefore, it can be said that the buffer portion 26 is connected to the midstream portion of the second conveyor 22. In this example, the second conveyor 22 is arranged along the conveying direction X and the width direction Y. The downstream portion of the second conveyor 22 and the first conveyor 21 has a longer conveying path than the upstream portion of the first conveyor 21. This allows the multiple items W conveyed from the upstream portion of the first conveyor 21 to be conveyed to the storage conveyor 1 without being retained in the downstream portion of the first conveyor 21 or the second conveyor 22. In the example of FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, the upstream portion of the second conveyor 22 is provided on the second floor F2. The downstream portion of the second conveyor 22 is provided on the third floor F3. The midstream portion of the second conveying section 22 is provided across the second floor F2 and the third floor F3.
[0026] The third conveying section 23 is connected to the first conveying section 21. Specifically, an upstream portion of the third conveying section 23 is connected to the downstream of the first conveying section 21. In addition, the storage conveyor 1 is connected downstream of the third conveying section 23. In this example, the third conveying section 23 is connected to the storage conveyor 1 via the second conveying section 22. The third conveying section 23 branched off from the downstream side of the first conveying section 21 is arranged so as to merge with the midstream portion of the second conveying section 22 on the downstream side. In the example of FIG. 1, the third conveying section 23 is provided on the second floor F2. The third conveying section 23 may be arranged so as to branch off from the second conveying section 22.
[0027] In this embodiment, the third conveyor 23 functions as a buffer section 26. That is, in the third conveyor 23, a plurality of items W branched off from the second conveyor 22 can be temporarily stored. Specifically, the buffer section 26 is provided in the middle of the conveying path of the items W in the third conveyor 23 (see FIG. 1). In this example, the buffer section 26 is configured as a circular conveyor around which the plurality of items W can circulate. Therefore, in the buffer section 26, the items W are stored in a state of circling the circular conveyor. When the items W are conveyed from the buffer section 26 to the storage conveyor 1, the outgoing conveyor 26a connected to the circular conveyor is used to make the items W circulating merge with the second conveyor 22. That is, in this example, the downstream end of the third conveyor 23 is the outgoing conveyor 26a. And the outgoing conveyor 26a is connected to the second conveyor 22. In the buffer section 26, a specific item Wt, which will be described later, out of the multiple items W is stored.
[0028] The configuration of the buffer unit 26 can be changed as appropriate. For example, the buffer unit 26 can be a storage shelf for storing a plurality of items W. In that case, a transport vehicle (e.g., a stacker crane, etc.) for loading and unloading the items W between the buffer unit 26 and the storage shelf can be arranged.
[0029] In addition, in this embodiment, the conveying mechanism 20 (first conveying section 21, second conveying section 22, third conveying section 23) is a conveyor, but is not limited to this and may be, for example, an unmanned guided vehicle, a stacker crane, or a robot arm, etc.
[0030] As shown in FIG. 1, the reading device 27 is disposed adjacent to the judgment location 28 set in the first conveying section 21. As described above, the measurement device 24 is provided at the judgment location 28. Therefore, the reading device 27 is disposed adjacent to the measurement device 24. Here, the reading device 27 is a barcode reader that reads a barcode written on the outer surface of the article W. The measurement device 24 is a device that measures at least one of the weight and size of the article W (both in this embodiment). Here, the measurement device 24 is provided so as to overlap with the conveyor of the first conveying section 21 (here, the conveyor constituting the upstream part of the first conveying section 21) in a vertical view, and is configured to be able to measure the weight and size of the article W when the article W is placed on the first conveying section 21. The measurement result measured by the measurement device 24 is transmitted to the control device 10. Then, the judgment unit 25 judges whether the article W corresponds to the specific article Wt based on the measurement result.
[0031] In this embodiment, the judgment threshold Q is determined in advance for each of the weight and size of the item W. The judgment unit 25 judges the item W that is judged to be equal to or greater than the judgment threshold Q for both weight and size as a specific item Wt. Here, the judgment threshold Q for the size of the item W includes a width dimension threshold Q1 that specifies the dimension in the width direction Y of the item W. The width dimension threshold Q1 is set to a value (Q1>mn) that is smaller than the dimension m in the width direction Y of the conveying path 3 of the item W on the storage conveyor 1 and larger than the dimension m in the width direction Y of the conveying path 3 minus the dimension n in the width direction Y of the item W that has the smallest dimension in the width direction Y among all the items W stored on the storage conveyor 1. Here, the dimension m in the width direction Y of the conveying path 3 of the item W is set to the dimension in the width direction Y of the conveying surface of the storage conveyor 1 (see FIG. 5). In this example, no threshold value is set that specifies the dimension in the conveying direction X and the height direction of the item W. However, at least one of the dimension of the item W in the conveying direction X and the dimension in the height direction may be included in the judgment threshold Q. In this example, the weight threshold that specifies the weight of the item W is included in the judgment threshold Q. Then, by setting the weight threshold to a fixed weight (e.g., 10 kg), for example, among all the items W stored on one storage conveyor 1, an item W whose dimension P in the width direction Y (see FIG. 1) of the item W is equal to or greater than the width direction dimension threshold Q1 and whose weight is equal to or greater than the weight threshold can be determined as a specific item Wt. In this way, the determination unit 25 can determine one or more items W as a specific item Wt.
[0032] The determination unit 25 may be configured to use a determination threshold value that combines weight and size. In this case, for example, a combination of these two threshold values, in which the size threshold value decreases as the weight threshold value increases, may be set as a plurality of sets of determination threshold values, and when the weight and size of the object W measured by the measuring device 24 are equal to or greater than any of the sets of weight and size threshold values, the object W may be determined to be a specific object Wt. The determination unit 25 may also determine that an object W that satisfies either the width direction dimension threshold value Q1 or the weight threshold value is a specific object Wt. The determination unit 25 may also set only either the weight or the size as the determination threshold value Q. The determination unit 25 may also make a determination by taking into account, for example, the characteristics of the object W, such as its slipperiness. In this way, the conditions for determining whether or not the object W is a specific object Wt may be changed as appropriate.
[0033] As shown in FIG. 5, in this embodiment, the control device 10 includes a storage unit 18 and an acquisition unit 19. The control device 10 also includes the above-mentioned control unit H and determination unit 25. In this example, the control unit H is configured to control the stopper 13 of the storage conveyor 1, the reading device 27, the measuring device 24, and the buffer unit 26 of the loading device 2, and the unloading conveying unit 41 and the sorter conveyor 43 of the unloading device 4 in addition to the transport mechanism 20. The control device 10 includes a calculation processing device such as a CPU and peripheral circuits such as a memory, and each function is realized by cooperation between these hardware and a program executed on the hardware such as the calculation processing device. The control unit H may be provided in the loading device 2, and in that case, a separate control unit that controls devices other than the loading device 2 may be provided in the control device 10.
[0034] As shown in FIG. 7, the control unit H controls the transport mechanism 20 to execute a buffer transport process, a general transport process, and a specific transport process.
[0035] The buffer transport process is a process of transporting the specific item Wt to the buffer unit 26 based on the determination result by the determination unit 25. The control unit H controls the first transport unit 21, the second transport unit 22, and the third transport unit 23 to transport the specific item Wt to the buffer unit 26.
[0036] In this embodiment, when a new item W arrives, the acquisition unit 19 of the control device 10 acquires arrival information (item information) of the item W (S01). Then, the determination unit 25 provided in the control device 10 determines whether the weight and size of the item W are equal to or greater than the determination threshold value Q (S02). Specifically, when the first conveyance unit 21 receives the item W from the outside (for example, a truck for arrival), the reading device 27 reads the barcode attached to the item W. The acquisition unit 19 acquires item information (item code, etc.) of the item W from the barcode information. In addition, when the weight and size of the item W are measured by the measuring device 24, the acquisition unit 19 acquires the measurement result. The storage unit 18 stores the acquired item information and the measurement result (weight and size) in association with each other. In addition, the determination unit 25 judges whether the received item W is a specific item Wt based on the acquired measurement result. If the determination unit 25 determines that the weight and size of the item W are equal to or greater than the determination threshold value Q (S02: Yes), i.e., if the determination unit 25 determines that the item W is a specific item Wt, the control unit H executes a buffer transport process (S03). As a result, multiple items W determined to be specific items Wt by the determination unit 25 are transported to the buffer unit 26 provided in the third transport unit 23 and temporarily stored therein. Also, if the determination unit 25 determines that the weight and size of the item W are smaller than the determination threshold value Q (S02: No), i.e., if the determination unit 25 determines that the item W is a general item Ws other than the specific item Wt, the control unit H executes a general transport process (S06) which will be described later.
[0037] In this example, as described above, the determination unit 25 determines whether or not each item W, whose barcode has been read by the reading device 27 and whose measurement has been performed by the measuring device 24, corresponds to a specific item Wt, but for example, when it is determined that a certain number or more of the items W stored on one storage conveyor 1 are specific items Wt, the control unit H can select several specific items Wt that are particularly large in weight and size from the certain number or more of the specific items Wt. The control unit H may transport only the selected several specific items Wt to the buffer unit 26, and send the other specific items Wt directly to the storage conveyor 1 as general items Ws.
[0038] In addition, if the memory unit 18 stores the weights and sizes of all the items W stored on each storage conveyor 1 in advance in association with the product information, the determination unit 25 can make a determination based on the weight and size information of the items W stored in the memory unit 18, so the measurement device 24 does not necessarily need to be provided at the determination location 28. In addition, the information of each item W arriving at the first transport unit 21 (item information, weight and size information, etc.) may be updated, for example, at a specified time in the morning of the first day. This makes it easier to select a specific item Wt on each storage conveyor 1, since the information of all the items W scheduled to arrive at the item storage facility 100 in a day is updated at a specified time.
[0039] The general conveying process is a process of conveying general items Ws, which are items W other than specific items Wt, to the storage conveyor 1. The control unit H controls the first conveying unit 21 and the second conveying unit 22 to convey the items W to one of the multiple storage conveyors 1. In the general conveying process, the control unit H controls the second conveying unit 22 so that the items W are not conveyed to the third conveying unit 23.
[0040] In this example, the shipping destination (e.g., the store to which each item W is to be shipped) of each item W arriving at the item storage facility 100 is stored in advance in the storage unit 18. In addition, a storage conveyor 1 on which each item W is to be stored is assigned in advance for each shipping destination. For example, when a plurality of items W to be shipped to four stores ("Store 001, Store 002, Store 003, Store 004") are delivered together in one truck (see FIG. 3), each of the four stores can be assigned to each of the four storage conveyors 1 adjacent to each other. The control unit H transports all items W to be delivered to "Store 001" to the storage conveyor 1 assigned to "Store 001". Similarly, the control unit H transports all items W to be delivered to "Store 002" to the storage conveyor 1 assigned to "Store 002". The control unit H also performs the same transport for items W to be delivered to "Store 003, Store 004". Furthermore, when a plurality of items W to be shipped to four stores ("Store 005, Store 006, Store 007, Store 008") are transported together on one truck, for example, each of these stores can be assigned to each storage conveyor 1 to which "Store 001 to Store 004" are assigned. In this case, the control unit H transports, for example, all items W to be delivered to "Store 005" to the storage conveyor 1 in which all items W to be delivered to "Store 001" are stored. The control unit H also transports all items W to be delivered to "Store 006" to the storage conveyor 1 in which all items W to be delivered to "Store 002" are stored. The control unit H performs the same transport for items W to be delivered to "Store 007, Store 008". Also, all items W accommodated in one truck may be stored on one specific storage conveyor 1. For example, all the articles W transported to "Stores 001 to 004" can be arranged on one storage conveyor 1 in the order of the stores.
[0041] The specific transport process is a process of transporting a specific item Wt from the buffer unit 26 to the storage conveyor 1 in such a state that the movement of the item W on the storage conveyor 1 is restricted by the stopper 13, so that at least the item W located most upstream among the multiple items W stored on the storage conveyor 1 becomes the specific item Wt. In this embodiment, when there is an instruction to transport the specific item Wt from the control device 10 (S04: Yes), the control unit H executes the specific transport process (S05). Specifically, the control unit H controls the third transport unit 23 and the second transport unit 22 to transport the specific item Wt stored in the buffer unit 26 to the storage conveyor 1 at the timing of the transport instruction. Note that the determination of the transport instruction for the item W may be made by the control unit H of the control device 10 or the determination unit 25.
[0042] As shown in FIG. 4, in this embodiment, the control unit H executes a specific transport process so that at least one item W adjacent to the downstream side of at least the specific item Wt located at the most upstream side on the storage conveyor 1 becomes a specific item Wt. Furthermore, the control unit H executes a specific transport process so that at least one item W at every predetermined set distance R or every predetermined set number of items among the multiple items W lined up along the transport direction X on the storage conveyor 1 becomes a specific item Wt. In the example of FIG. 4, the specific item Wt is stored at every set distance R on the top storage conveyor 1. Furthermore, on the top storage conveyor 1, the items W lined up on the downstream side of the rear end and the one before the rear end are also designated as specific items Wt. Also, on the storage conveyor 1 in the middle tier, the specific items Wt are not lined up at every set distance R, and only the items W lined up on the downstream side of the rear end and the one before the rear end are designated as specific items Wt. In this way, the control unit H can arrange specific items Wt at predetermined set distances R on one storage conveyor 1, and perform a specific transport process so that the item W located most upstream and the item W arranged one step downstream from that are specific items Wt.
[0043] Here, the set distance R may be, for example, the distance in the conveying direction X of all the items W delivered to one store. In this case, the set distance R may be set to a different distance for each item. The set distance R may also be set so that the specific items Wt are arranged at a fixed distance, for example, uniformly every 10 m.
[0044] In this embodiment, the control unit H keeps the stopper 13 in the restricting state until all the items W to be stored on one storage conveyor 1 are arranged. Then, when all the items W are arranged, the control unit H changes the position of the stopper 13 from the restricting state to the released state. As a result, multiple items W from the item W stored at the head of the storage conveyor 1 to the specific item Wt at the end are transported to the unloading conveyor 41 in order from the downstream side. In this example, as described above, multiple specific items Wt are arranged on one storage conveyor 1. Then, by utilizing the force of each specific item Wt pushing the item W downstream, all the items W arranged in a row can be transported from the storage conveyor 1 to the unloading conveyor 41 without being retained on the conveying surface (inclined surface) of the storage conveyor 1. After that, the control unit H transports all the items W arranged on one storage conveyor 1 to the sorter conveyor 43 where the shipping truck assigned in advance as the transport destination is stopped. The multiple articles W transported to the sorter conveyor 43 are transferred onto a truck by a worker or the like.
[0045] Other embodiments (1) In the above embodiment, the first floor F1 is the first floor, the second floor F2 is the second floor, and the third floor F3 is the third floor, and the loading device 2 and the storage conveyor 1 are arranged from the second floor to the third floor, and the unloading device 4 is arranged from the first floor to the second floor. However, the present invention is not limited to this. The first floor F1, the second floor F2, and the third floor F3 may be on the same floor, or the first floor F1 and the second floor F2 may be on the same floor, and the third floor F3 may be on the floor one floor higher. In this way, the layout of the first floor F1, the second floor F2, and the third floor F3 can be changed as appropriate according to the scale of the item storage facility 100. The layout of the loading device 2, the storage conveyor 1, and the unloading device 4 can also be changed as appropriate. In addition, in the above embodiment, a configuration in which multiple first transport sections 21 (conveyors in this case) of the loading device 2 are arranged side by side in the width direction Y has been described as an example, but in addition to such a configuration, for example, multiple first transport sections 21 may be arranged side by side in the transport direction X. Similarly, multiple sorter conveyors 43 of the unloading device 4 may be arranged not only side by side in the width direction Y, but also in the transport direction X. In this way, the arrangement of the respective components of the loading device 2 and the unloading device 4 can also be appropriately changed depending on the scale of the item storage facility 100, etc.
[0046] (2) In the above embodiment, the control unit H performs a specific transport process so that, among the multiple items W lined up along the transport direction X on the storage conveyor 1, at least one item W becomes a specific item Wt for every predetermined set distance R, but the present invention is not limited to this. The control unit H may perform a specific transport process so that, among the multiple items W lined up along the transport direction X on the storage conveyor 1, at least one item W becomes a specific item Wt for every predetermined set number. The set number can be set as the number of items W lined up along the transport direction X on the storage conveyor 1. For example, if the set number is "5", one specific item Wt can be placed for every five general items Ws lined up.
[0047] (3) In the above embodiment, the width direction dimension threshold Q1 is set to a value (Q1>mn) that is smaller than the dimension m in the width direction Y of the transport path 3 of the item W on the storage conveyor 1 and larger than the dimension m in the width direction Y of the transport path 3 minus the dimension n in the width direction Y of the item W with the smallest dimension in the width direction Y among all the items W stored on the storage conveyor 1, but is not limited to this. The minimum value of the width direction dimension threshold Q1 may be set to a fixed value. For example, the minimum value of the width direction dimension threshold Q1 may be set to 500 mm (millimeters).
[0048] (4) In the above embodiment, the control unit H is configured to execute the specific transport process so that at least one item W adjacent to the downstream side of at least the specific item Wt located most upstream on the storage conveyor 1 becomes the specific item Wt, but this is not limited to the above. The control unit H may execute the specific transport process so that only the item W located most upstream on the storage conveyor 1 becomes the specific item Wt.
[0049] (5) In the above embodiment, the transport mechanism 20 is described as including the first transport section 21, the second transport section 22, and the third transport section 23 in which the determination point 28 is set, but is not limited thereto. The transport mechanism 20 may be configured to include some of the first transport section 21, the second transport section 22, and the third transport section 23. For example, the transport mechanism 20 may be configured to include the first transport section 21 and the second transport section 22, but not the third transport section 23. In this case, it is preferable to provide the buffer section 26 separately in the first transport section 21 or the second transport section 22.
[0050] (6) In the above embodiment, the configuration in which the unloading device 4 is connected to the downstream end 12 of the storage conveyor 1 has been described as an example, but the present invention is not limited to this. The item storage facility 100 may also be configured not to include the unloading device 4 in the first place. In this case, the items W unloaded from the storage conveyor 1 may be loaded into a basket cart by, for example, a worker, and moved to the stopping position of the shipping truck.
[0051] (7) Note that the configurations disclosed in the above-described embodiments can be applied in combination with configurations disclosed in other embodiments (including combinations of the embodiments described as other embodiments) as long as no contradiction occurs. Regarding other configurations, the embodiments disclosed in this specification are merely examples in all respects. Therefore, various modifications can be made as appropriate within the scope of the present disclosure.
[0052] [Summary of the above embodiment] An overview of the above-described item storage facility will now be given.
[0053] The present disclosure relates to an item storage facility including a storage conveyor that stores a plurality of items in a line along a predetermined conveying direction, and a loading device that loads the items onto the storage conveyor, the storage conveyor is disposed at an incline downward from the upstream end connected to the carry-in device toward the downstream end, and is provided with a stopper at the downstream end for restricting movement of the articles, and is configured such that when the stopper is released, the articles move toward the downstream side in the conveying direction by their own weights, the loading device includes a transport mechanism for transporting the item, a determination unit for determining that the item, at least one of a weight and a size of which is equal to or greater than a predetermined determination threshold, is a specific item, a buffer unit for temporarily storing the specific item, and a control unit; The control unit controls the transport mechanism. a buffer conveying process of conveying the specific item to the buffer unit based on a result of the determination by the determination unit; A general conveying process for conveying general items other than the specific items to the storage conveyor; A specific transport process is executed to transport the specific item from the buffer section to the storage conveyor, while the stopper restricts the movement of the item on the storage conveyor, so that at least the item located most upstream among the multiple items stored on the storage conveyor becomes the specific item.
[0054] According to this configuration, a specific item whose weight or size is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold value is placed at least on the most upstream side of the multiple items stored on the storage conveyor, so that when the stopper is released and the items move, the specific item pushes the items downstream from it from the upstream side. Therefore, when the stopper is released, all the items stored on the storage conveyor can be appropriately moved downstream. In addition, the need for a separate drive mechanism for forcibly moving the items can be reduced, which makes it easier to reduce the cost of the item storage facility. In addition, according to this configuration, multiple items determined to be specific items can be temporarily stored in the buffer section by the buffer transport process and the specific transport process, and the specific items can be transported from the buffer section to the storage conveyor at the required timing, so that the transport of specific items is less likely to interfere with the transport of general items by the general transport process. Furthermore, according to this configuration, a portion of the multiple items stored on the storage conveyor is arranged as specific items, which makes it easier to improve the storage and transportation efficiency of the items compared to, for example, the arrangement of a push-out bucket or the like that is not originally intended for storage. Thus, according to this configuration, all of the items stored in a row on the storage conveyor can be properly removed, and the efficiency of storing and transporting the items can be easily improved.
[0055] Here, it is preferable that the control unit executes the specific transport process so that at least one of the multiple items lined up along the transport direction on the storage conveyor every predetermined set distance or every predetermined set number becomes the specific item.
[0056] According to this configuration, among the multiple articles lined up along the conveying direction on the storage conveyor, at least one article is a specific article for each set distance or set number, so the number of downstream articles pushed by each specific article can be reduced. Therefore, when the stopper is released, all the articles can be moved more reliably toward the conveying device.
[0057] In addition, the direction perpendicular to the conveying direction when viewed from the top to bottom is defined as the width direction, the judgment threshold for the size of the article includes a width dimension threshold that defines a dimension of the article in the width direction; It is preferable that the width dimension threshold be set to a value smaller than the width dimension of the transport path of the item on the storage conveyor and greater than the width dimension of the transport path minus the width dimension of the item with the smallest width dimension among all the items stored on the storage conveyor.
[0058] According to this configuration, the width dimension of the specific item is set so that other items cannot pass between the width side of the specific item and the width edge of the storage conveyor, and therefore, when the stopper is released, all items downstream of the specific item can be pushed by the specific item and moved toward the transport device.
[0059] It is also preferable that the control unit executes the specific transport process so that at least one of the items adjacent to the specific item located on the downstream side of at least the specific item located most upstream on the storage conveyor becomes the specific item.
[0060] According to this configuration, a plurality of specific objects can push objects downstream thereof, so that all objects can be moved toward the conveying device more reliably.
[0061] The transport mechanism includes a first transport section in which a determination location where the determination unit performs determination is set, and a second transport section and a third transport section branched off from the first transport section downstream of the determination location, The second conveying section connects the first conveying section and the storage conveyor, The third transport unit functions as the buffer unit, It is preferable that the storage conveyor is connected downstream of the third transport section.
[0062] According to this configuration, general items that are not determined to be specific items by the determination unit can be appropriately transported to the storage conveyor. Also, items that are determined to be specific items by the determination unit can be appropriately transported to the buffer unit and stored, and specific items stored in the buffer unit can be appropriately transported from the buffer unit to the storage conveyor.
[0063] The storage conveyor may further include a plurality of the storage conveyors, a discharge device connected to the downstream end of the storage conveyor; The unloading device preferably comprises an unloading conveying section connected to the downstream end of each of the multiple storage conveyors, and multiple sorter conveyors branching off from the unloading conveying section.
[0064] According to this configuration, the order of transport of the multiple items removed from the multiple storage conveyors can be rearranged by the unloading transport section and the multiple sorter conveyors, making it easy to ship the multiple items in the order required by the shipping destination.
[0065] It is sufficient for the item storage facility according to the present disclosure to achieve at least one of the above-mentioned effects. [Explanation of symbols]
[0066] 1: Storage conveyor 2: Loading device 3: Transport route 4: Unloading device 11: Upstream end of storage conveyor 12: Downstream end of storage conveyor 13: Stopper 20: Transport mechanism 21: First conveyor section 22: Second conveying section 23: Third conveyor section 25: Judgment section 26: Buffer section 28: Judgment point 41: Unloading and transporting section 43: Sorter conveyor 100: Goods storage equipment H:Control unit Q: Judgment threshold Q1: Width dimension threshold W:Goods Ws: General goods Wt: Specified goods X: Transport direction Y: Width direction
Claims
1. An article storage facility including a storage conveyor that stores a plurality of articles arranged along a predetermined conveying direction, and a loading device that loads the articles onto the storage conveyor, the storage conveyor is disposed at an incline downward from the upstream end connected to the carry-in device toward the downstream end, and is provided with a stopper at the downstream end for restricting movement of the articles, and is configured such that when the stopper is released, the articles move toward the downstream side in the conveying direction by their own weights, the loading device includes a transport mechanism for transporting the item, a determination unit for determining that the item, at least one of a weight and a size of which is equal to or greater than a predetermined determination threshold, is a specific item, a buffer unit for temporarily storing the specific item, and a control unit; The control unit controls the transport mechanism. a buffer conveying process of conveying the specific item to the buffer unit based on a result of the determination by the determination unit; A general conveying process for conveying general items other than the specific items to the storage conveyor; and a specific transport process for transporting the specific item from the buffer section to the storage conveyor such that at least the item located most upstream among the multiple items stored on the storage conveyor becomes the specific item, while the movement of the item on the storage conveyor is restricted by the stopper.
2. The control unit executes the specific transport process so that at least one of the multiple items lined up along the transport direction on the storage conveyor becomes the specific item every predetermined set distance or every predetermined set number.
3. The direction perpendicular to the conveying direction when viewed from the top to bottom is defined as the width direction. the judgment threshold for the size of the article includes a width dimension threshold that defines a dimension of the article in the width direction; The item storage facility of claim 1, wherein the width dimension threshold is set to a value smaller than the width dimension of the item's transport path on the storage conveyor and greater than the width dimension of the transport path minus the width dimension of the item with the smallest width dimension among all the items stored on the storage conveyor.
4. The item storage facility of claim 1 , wherein the control unit executes the specific transport process so that at least one item adjacent to the specific item located downstream of at least the specific item located most upstream on the storage conveyor becomes the specific item.
5. the transport mechanism includes a first transport section in which a determination location where the determination unit performs a determination is set, and a second transport section and a third transport section branched off from the first transport section downstream of the determination location, The second transport section connects the first transport section and the storage conveyor, The third transport unit functions as the buffer unit, The article storage facility according to claim 1 , wherein the storage conveyor is connected downstream of the third transport section.
6. A plurality of the storage conveyors are provided, a discharge device connected to the downstream end of the storage conveyor; The item storage facility described in any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the discharge device comprises an output conveying section connected to the downstream end of each of the multiple storage conveyors, and multiple sorter conveyors branching off from the output conveying section.
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