Lid body open / close device

Abstract

To open and close a lid body of a case by a simple configuration.SOLUTION: A lid opening / closing device 12 includes a rotation unit 71 which is provided above a case CS, approaches or moves away from the case CS, and rotates about an imaginary vertical line B passing through the case CS. The rotation unit 71 includes: a lid suction cup 77 which approaches the case CS together with the rotation unit 71, is sucked to a lid 122 of the case CS, and moves away from the case CS together with the rotation unit 71 to lift and open the lid 122; and a contact roller 86 which is located inside the lid 122 lifted by the lid suction cup 77, and rotates together with the rotation unit 71 to come into contact with the inside of the lid 122 when the lid suction cup 77 is removed from the lid 122, thereby pushing and opening the lid 122.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 17

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an accommodation housing, and more particularly to a lid for the accommodation housing and a technique for opening and closing the lid. [Background technology]

[0002] A storage case (e.g., a container) is provided with a lid that opens and closes an opening so as to be freely opened and closed, and stored items are put into and removed from the storage case when the lid is open and the opening is open. For example, a container with a lid opening and closing device described in Patent Document 1 includes a container body having an opening at the top, a pair of lids that divide the opening in the left and right directions and close it, and an opening and closing device that opens and closes the pair of lids between a closed position in which the opening is closed and an open position in which the opening is open.

[0003] Also, various systems have been proposed that move items using an automatic guided vehicle (AGV). For example, in the automatic guided vehicle system described in Patent Document 2, a conveyor conveys luggage, and when the luggage arrives at the end of the conveyor, a nearby automatic guided vehicle is called, and a robot loads the luggage onto the automatic guided vehicle, which then moves the luggage to a shelf and stores it on the shelf. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] JP 2019-064675 A [Patent Document 2] JP 2020-123196 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] In Patent Document 2, when the cargo is a storage case, it is desirable not only to load the storage case onto an unmanned transport vehicle, but also to open and close the cover of the storage case to put in and take out the contents of the storage case. For example, the application of an arm robot or the like to perform such a task is envisioned, but the application of such a robot complicates the system configuration and increases the system cost.

[0006] Furthermore, if an opening and closing device for opening and closing the canopy is provided on the container itself as in Patent Document 1, the container configuration becomes complicated, and the cost of the container increases.

[0007] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above circumstances, and has an object to make it possible to open and close a lid of a storage housing with a simple structure. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a storage housing in which a lid is opened and closed by a lid opening / closing device, the storage housing comprising a hollow main body formed of a rectangular parallelepiped with an opening formed therein, and a pair of lids provided on two opposing edges of four sides of the main body that form the opening, the opening being rectangular in top view, and opening and closing the opening, the pair of lids being supported by one of the lid edges rotatably on the edge of the main body, and each of the pair of lids has a wide portion having a predetermined large dimension in a width dimension in a direction perpendicular to a direction in which one of the lid edges extends, and a narrow portion having a predetermined small dimension smaller than the large dimension, the lid opening / closing device being provided above a position where the storage housing is placed, and moving toward or away from the storage housing, and opening and closing the storage housing. the lid suction cup approaches the storage housing together with the rotation unit and adheres to the pair of lid bodies of the storage housing and moves together with the rotation unit in a direction away from the storage housing to lift and open the pair of lid bodies; and a contact member is provided at a position on the rotation unit that is inside the pair of lid bodies lifted by the lid suction cup, and when the lid suction cup comes off the pair of lid bodies, the contact member rotates together with the rotation unit and comes into contact with the inside of the pair of lid bodies to press the pair of lid bodies from their insides in the direction in which the pair of lid bodies open, and when the lid suction cup adheres to the lid bodies of the storage housing, the lid suction cup adheres to the outside of the wide portions of the pair of lid bodies. Effect of the Invention

[0009] According to the present invention, the cover of the storage housing can be opened and closed with a simple configuration. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] 1 is a plan view showing an automated guided vehicle system to which a lid opening / closing device according to an embodiment of the present invention is applied; [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing an automated guided vehicle in the automated guided vehicle system. [Diagram 3]FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a sliding state of each arm of the automated guided vehicle. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a rack gear and a pinion gear for reciprocating the arm. [Diagram 5] FIG. 2A is a perspective view showing a mechanism for extending and retracting the first and second claws of each arm, and FIG. 2B is a plan view showing the mechanism. [Figure 6] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a control system of the automated guided vehicle. [Figure 7] 11 is a flowchart showing a control procedure for transferring an accommodation case being transported by a conveyor to an unmanned transport vehicle and for moving the accommodation case by the unmanned transport vehicle. [Figure 8] FIG. 1A is a perspective view showing a state in which an accommodation housing is being transported by a conveyor, and FIG. 1B is a perspective view showing a state in which an unmanned guided vehicle has caught up with the accommodation housing being transported by the conveyor. [Figure 9] 1 is a perspective view showing a state in which one arm on the upstream side in the transport direction of the storage housing in the unmanned transport vehicle comes into contact with the storage housing being transported by a conveyor. FIG. [Figure 10] FIG. 1A is a perspective view showing a state in which a storage case being transported by a conveyor is sandwiched between the arms of an unmanned transport vehicle, and FIG. 1B is a perspective view showing the process of transferring the storage case being transported by the conveyor to the unmanned transport vehicle. [Figure 11] 11 is a perspective view showing a state in which an accommodating housing being transported by a conveyor is sandwiched between the arms of an unmanned transport vehicle, with first claw portions on the inside of the distal end of each arm protruding. FIG. [Figure 12] 1 is a perspective view showing an automated guided vehicle carrying an accommodation housing transferred from a conveyor; FIG. [Figure 13] 1 is a perspective view showing a state in which an unmanned transport vehicle has stopped in front of a lid opening / closing device. FIG. [Figure 14] 11 is a perspective view showing a state in which the accommodation housing is sandwiched between the arms of the automatic guided vehicle and second claw portions on the inside of the rear ends of the arms are protruded. FIG. [Figure 15]11 is a perspective view showing a process in which the storage housing is transferred from the automatic guided vehicle to the lid opening and closing device. FIG. [Figure 16] 1 is a perspective view showing a cover opening / closing device according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 17] 1A is a perspective view showing a rotation unit in the lid opening and closing device, FIG. 1B is a plan view showing the rotation unit in the lid opening and closing device, and FIG. 1C is a side view showing the rotation unit in the lid opening and closing device. [Figure 18] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a control system of the lid opening and closing device of the present embodiment. [Figure 19] 1A is a perspective view showing the storage housing, and FIG. 1B is a plan view showing the storage housing. [Figure 20] FIG. 1A is a perspective view showing a state in which the covers of the storage housing are in the process of being opened, and FIG. 1B is a perspective view showing a state in which the covers have been opened. [Figure 21] 6 is a flowchart showing a control procedure for opening and closing each cover of the storage housing by the cover opening and closing device. [Figure 22] FIG. 2A is a plan view showing a rotation unit and a storage housing positioned below the unit, and FIG. 2B is a side view showing the rotation unit and a storage housing positioned below the unit. [Diagram 23] 13A and 13B are side views showing a process in which the accommodating housing is raised and approaches the rotation unit. [Figure 24] 1A is a plan view showing a process in which the lid of the storage housing is opened by the rotation unit, and FIG. 1B is a side view showing a process in which the lid of the storage housing is opened by the rotation unit. [Diagram 25] 1A is a plan view showing a process in which the lid of the storage housing is opened by the rotation unit, and FIG. 1B is a front view showing a process in which the lid of the storage housing is opened by the rotation unit. [Figure 26] 11 is a side view showing a state in which the lid of the storage housing is opened by the rotation unit. FIG. [Figure 27] FIG. 2A is a plan view showing a state in which the lid of the storage housing is opened by the rotation unit, and FIG. 2B is a front view showing a state in which the lid of the storage housing is opened by the rotation unit. [Figure 28] FIG. 13 is a side view showing the rotating unit and the storage housing with the lid opened and lowered. [Figure 29] 13A to 13C are side views showing a process in which an item is removed from the storage housing by the rotation unit. [Diagram 30] 13 is a side view showing the process of placing the contents removed by the rotating unit on a movable shelf. FIG. [Diagram 31] 1A is a plan view showing a state immediately before the lid of the storage housing is closed by the rotation unit, and FIG. 1B is a front view showing a state immediately before the lid of the storage housing is closed by the rotation unit. [Diagram 32] 1A is a plan view showing a process of closing the lid of the storage housing by the rotation unit, and FIG. 1B is a front view showing the process of closing the lid of the storage housing by the rotation unit. [Diagram 33] 13A to 13C are front views showing a process of closing the lid of the storage housing by the rotation unit. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0011] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS A lid opening / closing device, an automated guided vehicle system, and a housing according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

[0012] Fig. 1 is a schematic diagram showing an automated guided vehicle system according to one embodiment of the present invention. The automated guided vehicle system Sy shown in Fig. 1 includes an automated guided vehicle 10 and a conveyor 11 for transporting articles. The automated guided vehicle system Sy is installed indoors, such as in a warehouse, and includes a lid opening / closing device 12.

[0013] First, a description will be given of the configuration of the automated guided vehicle system Sy, and the configuration and operation of the automated guided vehicle 10. After that, a description will be given of the configuration and operation of the lid opening and closing device 12 of this embodiment.

[0014] The unmanned guided vehicle 10 moves by itself along a travel line 15 laid on the floor surface. For example, the travel line 15 is a magnetic tape attached to the floor surface, and the unmanned guided vehicle 10 is provided with a magnetic sensor that detects the magnetic tape. In the unmanned guided vehicle 10, the position of the magnetic tape (travel line 15) is detected by the magnetic sensor, and steering control is performed according to the position of the travel line 15 to make the unmanned guided vehicle 10 travel along the travel line 15. Alternatively, the travel line 15 is a colored tape attached to the floor surface and has a different color or reflectance from the floor surface, and the unmanned guided vehicle 10 is provided with an optical sensor such as a CCD that detects the colored tape. In the unmanned guided vehicle 10, a control unit (described later) detects the position of the colored tape (travel line 15) based on information obtained from the optical sensor, and steering control is performed according to the position of the travel line 15 to make the unmanned guided vehicle 10 travel along the travel line 15. Both the method using the magnetic tape and the magnetic sensor and the method using the colored tape and the optical sensor are known technologies.

[0015] The conveyor 11 has a number of rollers 16 arranged in the direction in which cases (an example of a housing) CS are transported. Each roller 16 is supported by a respective shaft intersecting the transport direction of the case CS, and is driven to rotate in one direction to transport the case CS on each roller 16.

[0016] The traveling line 15 is formed by connecting a first traveling line 15A, a second traveling line 15B, a third traveling line 15C, and a fourth traveling line 15D in a rectangular shape. Each of the traveling lines 15A to 15D is linear. The first traveling line 15A extends parallel to the direction in which the first conveyor 11A extends (the direction in which the cases CS are transported). The fourth traveling line 15D passes near the lid body opening and closing device 12.

[0017] The unmanned transport vehicle 10 starts traveling from a waiting position HP provided near the start of the first traveling line 15A, travels along the first traveling line 15A in parallel with the first conveyor 11A, turns its traveling direction by 90 degrees at the end of the first traveling line 15A, and moves to traveling along the second traveling line 15B. The unmanned transport vehicle 10 further turns its traveling direction by 90 degrees at the end of the second traveling line 15B, and moves to traveling along the third traveling line 15C. The unmanned transport vehicle 10 travels along the third traveling line 15C to reach the cover body opening and closing device 12, and then turns its traveling direction by 90 degrees at the end of the third traveling line 15C, and moves to traveling along the fourth traveling line 15D. The unmanned transport vehicle 10 further turns its traveling direction by 90 degrees at the end of the fourth traveling line 15D, and moves to traveling along the first traveling line 15A, and returns to the waiting position HP near the start of the first traveling line 15A.

[0018] The unmanned guided vehicle 10 travels parallel to the conveyor 11 along the first travel line 15A and transfers the case CS being transported by the conveyor 11 to the unmanned guided vehicle 10. The unmanned guided vehicle 10 then travels along the second travel line 15B and the third travel line 15C, and stops in front of the lid opening and closing device 12. At this position, the unmanned guided vehicle 10 transfers the case CS from the unmanned guided vehicle 10 to the lid opening and closing device 12, and also receives the case CS from the lid opening and closing device 12 to the unmanned guided vehicle 10.

[0019] Fig. 2 is an enlarged perspective view showing the schematic configuration of the automated guided vehicle 10. As shown in Fig. 2, the automated guided vehicle 10 is configured with a running section 22 provided on the lower side of the vehicle body and a working section 23 provided on the upper side of the vehicle body.

[0020] Casters 31 are provided at the four corners of the bottom of the running part 22, and a plurality of drive wheels 32 are provided at a distance from each other on the inside of the bottom of the running part 22. Each drive wheel 32 is rotated by a corresponding travel drive motor 33, causing the unmanned guided vehicle 10 to travel, and the wheels of each caster 31 are rotated accordingly. In addition, the travel drive motor 33 that rotates the drive wheel 32 is controlled separately for each drive wheel 32, adjusting the rotation speed of each drive wheel 32, and changing the traveling direction of the unmanned guided vehicle 10. In FIG. 2, the mechanism including the drive source of each drive wheel 32 is omitted from the illustration.

[0021] A pair of support walls 41 are disposed opposite each other and protrude from the upper surface of the working unit 23. Each support wall 41 supports an arm 42 at its upper portion and outer side wall. Each arm 42 is, for example, in the form of a hollow housing, and is supported by each support wall 41 via slide rails 43 so as to be slidable along the support wall 41. The distance between each arm 42 is set to a predetermined distance that is slightly longer than the width of the case CS transported by the conveyor 11, making it possible to insert and clamp the case CS between the arms 42.

[0022] 3 is a perspective view showing a sliding state of each arm 42. Each arm 42 is slidable relative to each support wall 41 by two slide rails 43 extending in the horizontal direction. The arms 42 are supported by the support wall 41 and guided in the moving direction, and each of the arms 42 reciprocates in its longitudinal direction. Each of the slide rails 43 has a configuration called, for example, a three-stage pull configuration, and has a configuration in which a part of the slide rail 43 protrudes and moves toward the outside, which is the side of the working unit 23. The slide rail 43 has a first rail, which is a part of the slide rail 43, provided on the side wall of the support wall 41, and a second rail, which is engaged with and supported by the first rail and guided in the moving direction by the first rail, and moves toward the outside, which is the side of the working unit 23. The second rail is attached to the arm 42. This allows each of the arms 42 to reciprocate in the horizontal direction, and the entire arm 42 can protrude outward from the automatic guided vehicle 10 and be retracted into the automatic guided vehicle 10 from the protruding position.

[0023] As shown in Fig. 4, a rack gear 44 is provided at the lower end of each arm 42. Also, each support wall 41 is provided with a respective arm drive motor 45 (shown in Fig. 6), and a respective pinion gear 46 is fixed to the output shaft of each arm drive motor 45. When each arm drive motor 45 rotates back and forth, each pinion gear 46 rotates back and forth, and each rack gear 44 and each arm 42 are guided in the moving direction by the slide rail 43 and moved back and forth. Note that the outward movement of the arm 42 in the moving direction is limited to a position where the arm 42 is not released from the lock and support by the support wall 41 and the slide rail 43, as shown in Fig. 3, by the engagement of the first rail and the second rail of the slide rail 43 and the rotation control of the arm drive motor 45.

[0024] 2 and 3, a slit 42A is formed in a side surface portion on the inside (side facing the other opposing arm 42) of the tip of each arm 42, and a first claw portion 51 is provided that protrudes through the slit 42A into the space between each arm 42. A slit 42B is formed in a side surface portion on the inside (side facing the other opposing arm 42) of the rear end (base end) of each arm 42, and a second claw portion 52 is provided that protrudes through the slit 42B into the space between each arm 42.

[0025] As shown in Figures 5(A) and 5(B), each first claw 51 is supported by a rotating shaft 53 inside the hollow housing-like arm 42, and each second claw 52 is supported by a rotating shaft 54 ​​inside the hollow housing-like arm 42. Each first claw 51 is rotated back and forth by a claw drive motor 55 (shown in Figure 6) connected to each rotating shaft 53, and performs an action of protruding from the slit 42A into the space between each arm 42 and an action of moving from the space and retracting into the arm 42. Each second claw 52 is rotated back and forth by a claw drive motor 56 (shown in Figure 6) connected to each rotating shaft 54, and performs an action of protruding from the slit 42B into the space between each arm 42 and an action of moving from the space and retracting into the arm 42.

[0026] An imaging camera, such as a CCD, is provided on the working section 23. When the automated guided vehicle 10 travels along the first travel line 15A in parallel with the first conveyor 11A, the imaging camera 61 (FIG. 6) is oriented so as to face the space above the first conveyor 11A. In this embodiment, the imaging camera 61 is disposed on the base end side of each arm 42 at the center in the traveling direction of the automated guided vehicle 10 in the area sandwiched between the two support walls 41 on the working section 23. The imaging camera 61 captures an image of a two-dimensional code (e.g., a QR code (registered trademark)) Q or a mark attached to a case CS transported on the first conveyor 11A. The imaging camera 61 may be disposed at a position on the base end side of each arm 42, on the outer side of one support wall 41 on the working unit 23 in the traveling direction of the automatic guided vehicle 10 (outside the area between the two support walls 41), or on an upper portion of one support wall 41, on the side wall side facing the other support wall 41. Furthermore, the imaging camera 61 may be disposed at another position other than the base end side of each arm 42, as long as it is a position where it can capture an image of the two-dimensional code Q or a mark attached to the case CS transported on the first conveyor 11A.

[0027] Fig. 6 is a block diagram showing a control system of the automated guided vehicle 10. As shown in Fig. 6, the automated guided vehicle 10 includes each travel drive motor 33 that rotates and drives each drive wheel 32 of the travel unit 22, each arm drive motor 45 that moves each arm 42 of the working unit 23 in the horizontal direction, each claw drive motor 55 that causes each first claw portion 51 to perform an operation of protruding from a slit 42A on the inner side of both ends of each arm 42 into the space between the arms 42 and an operation of retracting into the arm 42, each claw drive motor 56 that causes each second claw portion 52 to perform an operation of protruding from a slit 42B on the inner side of both ends of each arm 42 into the space between the arms 42 and an operation of retracting into the arm 42, an imaging camera 61 that images a two-dimensional code Q attached to a case CS on the first conveyor 11A, a travel line sensor 62 that detects the travel line 15, a communication unit 63, and a control unit 64.

[0028] The communication unit 63 is a communication interface equipped with a communication module such as a LAN chip (not shown), and is connected to the terminal device 65 via a wired or wireless LAN to transmit and receive data to and from the terminal device 65. The terminal device 65 is, for example, a PC (personal computer), and is operated by a user.

[0029] The control unit 64 includes a processor, a RAM (Random Access Memory), a ROM (Read Only Memory), and a dedicated hardware circuit. The processor is, for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit), an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), or an MPU (Micro Processing Unit). The control unit 64 performs overall control of the automated guided vehicle 10 by the operation of the processor in accordance with a control program stored in the ROM.

[0030] For example, the control unit 64 detects the position of the traveling line 15 based on the detection output of the traveling line sensor 62, and performs operation control such that, for each driving wheel 32, the control unit 64 drives and controls the traveling drive motor 33 of the driving wheel 32 to adjust the rotation speed of the driving wheel 32, thereby changing the traveling direction of the automated guided vehicle 10, and causes the automated guided vehicle 10 to travel along the traveling line 15 with the longitudinal direction of each arm 42 perpendicular to the traveling line 15. The control unit 64 also adjusts the traveling speed V of the automated guided vehicle 10.

[0031] In addition, the control unit 64 drives and controls each arm drive motor 45 to move each arm 42 back and forth, and drives and controls each claw drive motor 55, 56 to cause each claw portion 51, 52 to protrude from each slit 42A, 42B formed at both ends of each arm 42 or to retract within the arm 42.

[0032] Furthermore, the control unit 64 acquires an image captured by the imaging camera 61, analyzes the image, and identifies the two-dimensional code Q included in the image.

[0033] The unmanned transport vehicle 10 having such a configuration stops and waits at the standby position HP under the control of the control unit 64, and when the first conveyor 11A starts transporting the case CS, it drives each arm 42 while traveling parallel to the first conveyor 11A along the first traveling line 15A, and transfers the case CS being transported by the first conveyor 11A to the unmanned transport vehicle 10. Furthermore, under the control of the control unit 64, the unmanned transport vehicle 10 travels along the first traveling line 15A → the second traveling line 15B → the third traveling line 15C, moves to the front of the lid body opening and closing device 12, stops, transfers the case CS to the lid body opening and closing device 12, receives the case CS from the lid body opening and closing device 12, travels along the third traveling line 15C → the fourth traveling line 15D → the first traveling line 15A, and returns to the standby position HP.

[0034] Next, the control procedure for transferring the case CS being transported by the conveyor 11 as described above to the unmanned guided vehicle 10 and moving the case CS by the unmanned guided vehicle 10 will be described in detail with reference to the flowchart shown in Figure 7.

[0035] As shown in Fig. 1, while the automated guided vehicle 10 is waiting at the waiting position HP on the first travel line 15A, the second conveyor 11B starts to transport the case CS. The waiting position HP is set at the end of the second conveyor 11B, on the side of the position where it connects to the first conveyor 11A (the starting point of the first conveyor 11A). The case CS on the second conveyor 11B is transported with the attached two-dimensional code Q facing the waiting position HP. The case CS that has been transported to the position shown by the dashed line in Fig. 1 is then transported by the first conveyor 11A, with the transport direction switched to the direction of the arrow shown in Fig. 1.

[0036] The unmanned guided vehicle 10 at the waiting position HP captures an image of the two-dimensional code Q of the case CS with the imaging camera 61 when the case CS is transported to the position indicated by the dashed line in Fig. 1. The imaging camera 61 of the unmanned guided vehicle 10 at the waiting position HP is provided in a position facing the two-dimensional code Q on the side of the case CS. The two-dimensional code Q includes identification information indicating an ID unique to the case CS. In the unmanned guided vehicle 10, the control unit 74 analyzes the two-dimensional code Q captured by the imaging camera 61 and determines whether the ID indicated by the identification information is the same as the ID indicated by the identification information previously received from the terminal device 81 via the communication unit 73.

[0037] When the control unit 74 of the automated guided vehicle 10 determines that the above is the same, it starts the automated guided vehicle 10 traveling in the direction of the arrow shown in Fig. 1 (S101). At this point, the case CS has not changed its position and has started to be transported by the first conveyor 11A, and has already passed the position shown by the dashed line in Fig. 1, i.e., the standby position HP.

[0038] The control unit 64 detects the position of the traveling line 15 based on the detection output of the traveling line sensor 62, and drives and controls the traveling drive motors 33 of the drive wheels 32 according to the detected position of the traveling line 15, so that the unmanned guided vehicle 10 travels along the first traveling line 15A in a position close to the first conveyor 11A and parallel to the first conveyor 11A with the extension direction of each arm 42 (longitudinal direction of the arms 42) perpendicular to the traveling line 15, as shown in Fig. 8(A) (S102). At this time, the control unit 64 sets the traveling speed V of the unmanned guided vehicle 10 to be faster than the transport speed VC of the case CS by the first conveyor 11A. A predetermined running speed VA is set (S102).

[0039] The control unit 64 also controls the driving of one of the arm driving motors 45 to project one of the arms 42 located upstream in the conveying direction of the case CS into the space above the conveyor 11 as shown in FIG. 8(B) (S103).

[0040] At this time, the control unit 64 sets the running speed V of the unmanned guided vehicle 10 to the running speed VA which is faster than the transporting speed VC of the case CS by the first conveyor 11A, so that, as shown in Figures 8(B) and 9, one of the arms 42 located upstream in the transport direction of the case CS, which protrudes into the space above the first conveyor 11A, catches up with and comes into contact with the case CS.

[0041] Furthermore, a predetermined mark (such as a hole formed in the side surface or a predetermined image printed on the side surface; it may be a two-dimensional code Q) is provided on the side surface of the case CS facing the automatic guided vehicle 10. The imaging camera 61 is provided at a position where it can image the side surface of the case CS when the one arm 42 catches up with and comes into contact with the case CS, and therefore, when the one arm 42 catches up with and comes into contact with the case CS, the imaging camera 61 images the mark.

[0042] The control unit 74 acquires an image captured by the imaging camera 61, analyzes the image, and identifies an image showing the mark in the image (S104). Assuming that the one arm 42 has caught up with and contacted the case CS, the control unit 74 controls the driving of the arm driving motor 45 for driving the other arm 42 to protrude the other arm 42 located downstream in the conveying direction of the case CS into the space above the first conveyor 11A as shown in FIG. 10(A) (S105). The separation distance between the arms 42 is set to a distance slightly longer than the width of the case CS, which is equivalent to the width of the case CS, so that the protrusion of the other arm 42 causes the case CS to be sandwiched between the arms 42. In addition, each arm 42 protruded under the control of the control unit 64 has a length such that the tip of the arm 42 reaches a position beyond the rear end of the case CS in the direction perpendicular to the conveying direction of the case CS. The control unit 64 projects each arm 42 until the tip of each arm 42 reaches a position beyond the rear end of the case CS in this manner (FIGS. 10(A) and 11).

[0043] Next, the control unit 64 controls the driving of each claw drive motor 55 to project the first claw portion 51 on the inner side of the tip of each arm 42 as shown in FIG. 10(B) and FIG. 11 (S106).

[0044] The two-dimensional code Q identified in S104 includes information indicating the weight of the items contained in the case CS. This information may indicate the weight itself, or may indicate, for example, the weight of each item and the number of items. The control unit 64 determines the weight of the items based on the information, and calculates the weight of the items by adding the known weight of the case CS to the weight of the items (S107). Note that the information may indicate the weight of the items itself, which is the weight of the items plus the known weight of the case CS. In this case, the control unit 64 obtains the weight of the items directly from the information.

[0045] At this point, the control unit 64 drives and controls the travel drive motors 33 of the drive wheels 32 to cause the automated guided vehicle 10 to travel at the travel speed VA set in S102. After S107, the control unit 64 compares the weight of the item calculated in S107 with a preset threshold value, and if it determines that the weight of the item is less than the threshold value, it maintains the travel speed V of the automated guided vehicle 10 at the travel speed VA.

[0046] Furthermore, if the weight of the article is equal to or greater than the threshold value, the control unit 64 reduces the travel speed V of the automated guided vehicle 10 to a predetermined travel speed VD that is equal to or greater than the conveying speed VC of the case CS by the first conveyor 11A and is slower than the previous travel speed VA set in S102 (S108). As a result, if the weight of the article contained in the case CS is equal to or greater than the threshold value and is heavy, the travel speed V of the automated guided vehicle 10 is reduced while being maintained at or greater than the conveying speed VC of the case CS. Therefore, when the automated guided vehicle 10 is traveling while pushing the case CS with the protruding one arm 42, the load applied to each travel drive motor 33 can be reduced, and the load from the case CS applied to the one arm 42 can also be reduced, so that the automated guided vehicle 10 can travel stably.

[0047] Furthermore, the control unit 64 sets the rotation speed of each arm drive motor 45 according to the weight of the article calculated in S107 (S109). For example, the control unit 64 sets the rotation speed of each arm drive motor 45 to be slower as the weight of the article increases. For example, a data table showing the weight of the article and the corresponding rotation speed of each arm drive motor 45 for each weight of the article is stored in a ROM built into the control unit 64. The control unit 64 reads out the rotation speed of each arm drive motor 45 corresponding to the weight of the article calculated in S107 from the data table, and sets the read rotation speed as the rotation speed of each arm drive motor 45 according to the weight of the article calculated in S107.

[0048] Then, the control unit 64 drives and controls each arm drive motor 45 to rotate each arm drive motor 45 at the rotation speed set in S108, and as shown in FIG. 12, each arm 42 is withdrawn from the space above the first conveyor 11A and retracted from the protruding position as described above into the area within the working unit 23 of the unmanned guided vehicle 10. When each arm 42 is retracted, each first claw portion 51 hooks onto the end of the case CS, and each arm 42 retracts the case CS from the first conveyor 11A to the working unit 23 of the unmanned guided vehicle 10 (S110). That is, the retraction of each arm 42 moves the case CS from the position on the first conveyor 11A to the working unit 23 of the unmanned guided vehicle 10. As a result, the heavier the article, the slower the movement speed of each arm 42 is, and the case CS is transferred from the first conveyor 11A to the working unit 23 of the unmanned guided vehicle 10 at a slower speed. This reduces the load on each arm drive motor 45 when each arm 42 pulls the case CS into the working unit 23 of the unmanned guided vehicle 10. Also, the movement of the case CS from its position on the first conveyor 11A to onto the working unit 23 of the unmanned guided vehicle 10 is performed while the first conveyor 11A continues to transport the case CS and the unmanned guided vehicle 10 continues to run, but since this movement is performed at a low speed, the case CS can be moved stably and reliably from its position on the first conveyor 11A onto the working unit 23 of the unmanned guided vehicle 10.

[0049] Thereafter, the control unit 64 controls the drive of each claw drive motor 55 to retract each of the first claws 51 and store them inside the arm 42.

[0050] In this manner, while the unmanned transport vehicle 10 travels parallel to the first conveyor 11A along the first travel line 15A, the case CS being transported by the first conveyor 11A is transferred from the first conveyor 11A to the unmanned transport vehicle 10.

[0051] Furthermore, the control unit 64 detects the position of the driving line 15 based on the detection output of the driving line sensor 62, and drives and controls the driving motors 33 of each drive wheel 32 according to the detected position of the driving line 15, thereby causing the unmanned guided vehicle 10 to travel along the route from the first driving line 15A to the second driving line 15B to the third driving line 15C (S111).

[0052] When the unmanned transport vehicle 10 travels to the position of the plurality of lid body opening and closing devices 12 arranged side by side, the imaging camera 61 captures the image of each two-dimensional code Q2 attached to the position of each lid body opening and closing device 12 facing the unmanned transport vehicle 10. The control unit 74 analyzes each captured two-dimensional code Q2 to detect the location information of the lid body opening and closing device 12 contained in the two-dimensional code Q2. The control unit 74 receives the location information of the lid body opening and closing device 12 previously linked to the ID via the communication unit 73. When the two-dimensional code Q2 containing the location information matching the location information of the lid body opening and closing device 12 linked to the ID is captured, the control unit 74 stops the unmanned transport vehicle 10 at the position at this time, that is, at the position of the lid body opening and closing device 12 designated as the destination to which the case CS is transferred, as shown in FIG. 13 (S112). At this time, due to the direction change when the unmanned guided vehicle 10 changes paths from the first traveling line 15A to the second traveling line 15B to the third traveling line 15C, the tip of the arm 42 to which each first claw portion 51 is attached is in a position facing the lid opening and closing device 12.

[0053] Here, the control unit 64 drives and controls each claw drive motor 56 to protrude the second claw portion 52 on the inner rear end of each arm 42 (S113), as shown in Fig. 14. At this time, the second claw portion 52 on the inner rear end of each arm 42 is positioned on the end side of the case CS, which is opposite the lid opening and closing device 12.

[0054] Next, the control unit 64 drives and controls each arm drive motor 45 to project each arm 42 toward the lid opening and closing device 12 as shown in Fig. 15 (S114). The amount of projection at this time is set to an amount that allows the second claw portion 52 on the inside of the rear end of each arm 42 to enter at least to a position above the lid opening and closing device 12. The slide rail 43 is configured such that the second rail is engaged and supported by the first rail, and the direction of movement is guided by the first rail, so that the second rail also moves in the outward direction toward the lid opening and closing device 12 (the opposite direction to the outward direction toward the first conveyor 11A side shown in Fig. 3).

[0055] As each arm 42 protrudes toward the lid opening / closing device 12, each second claw portion 52 hooks onto the case CS, and each arm 42 and the second claw portion 52 push the case CS from above the working unit 23 of the unmanned transport vehicle 10 into the lid opening / closing device 12, moving the case CS from above the working unit 23 of the unmanned transport vehicle 10 to the lid opening / closing device 12. Thereafter, the control unit 64 drives and controls each claw drive motor 56 to retract each second claw portion 52 and store it inside the arm 42.

[0056] When the process (described later) for the case CS in the lid opening / closing device 12 is completed, the control unit 64 drives and controls each arm drive motor 45 to project each arm 42 toward the lid opening / closing device 12. At this time, the case CS on the lid opening / closing device 12 side is sandwiched between the arms 42.

[0057] In this state, the control unit 64 drives and controls each claw drive motor 55 to protrude the first claw portion 51 on the inside of the tip of each arm 42, and further drives and controls each arm drive motor 45 to retract each arm 42 from the lid opening and closing device 12 and move it onto the working unit 23. At this time, each first claw portion 51 gets caught on the case CS, and as each arm 42 moves onto the working unit 23, the case CS moves from the lid opening and closing device 12 to above the working unit 23 of the automatic guided vehicle 10.

[0058] The control unit 64 detects the position of the driving line 15 based on the detection output of the driving line sensor 62, and drives and controls the driving motors 33 of each drive wheel 32 according to the detected position of the driving line 15 to make the unmanned guided vehicle 10 travel along the route from the third driving line 15C to the fourth driving line 15D to the first driving line 15A, and stops the driving motors 33 of each drive wheel 32 a certain time after the unmanned guided vehicle 10 changes its direction of travel by 90 degrees between the fourth driving line 15D and the first driving line 15A, thereby stopping the unmanned guided vehicle 10 at the waiting position HP (S115).

[0059] As described above, when the first conveyor 11A starts to transport the case CS, the unmanned transport vehicle 10 travels along the first travel line 15A in parallel with the first conveyor 11A, and one arm 42 on the upstream side in the transport direction is extended. At this time, the travel speed V of the unmanned transport vehicle 10 is set to a travel speed VA faster than the transport speed VC of the case CS, and when one arm 42 moves to the position of the case CS, the other arm 42 on the downstream side in the transport direction is extended. Then, the case CS is sandwiched between the arms 42. In this state, the first claw portion 51 on the inner tip of each arm 42 is extended, and each arm 42 is pulled back to the unmanned transport vehicle 10. At this time, each first claw portion 51 is caught by the case CS, and the case CS is pushed from the first conveyor BR>P1A to the working unit 23 of the unmanned transport vehicle 10 by the arm 42 and the first claw portion 51, and moves onto the working unit 23 of the unmanned transport vehicle 10. As a result, according to this embodiment, while the unmanned guided vehicle 10 is traveling, the case CS being transported by the first conveyor 11A can be transferred to the unmanned guided vehicle 10, and the case CS can be moved efficiently.

[0060] As the above embodiment, an embodiment has been described in which the unmanned guided vehicle 10 takes in the case CS transported on the conveyor device 11 and stores it in the lid opening and closing device 12. In addition to this, the control unit 74 may drive and control the travel drive motor 33, the arm drive motor 45, the claw drive motor 55, and the claw drive motor 56 to operate the arm 42, the first claw portion 51, the second claw portion 52, and the imaging camera 61, so that the unmanned guided vehicle 10 takes in the case CS from the lid opening and closing device 12 onto the unmanned guided vehicle 10, transports the case CS to the position of the conveyor device 11, and transfers the case CS from the unmanned guided vehicle 10 onto the conveyor device 11.

[0061] Next, the configuration and operation of the lid opening and closing device 12 of this embodiment will be described.

[0062] 16 is a perspective view showing a schematic configuration of the lid opening / closing device 12 of this embodiment. The lid opening / closing device 12 receives the case CS from the automated guided vehicle 10, opens and closes the lid of the case CS, and further includes a mechanism for removing contents from inside the case CS.

[0063] As shown in FIG. 16, the lid opening / closing device 12 has a lifting shelf 66 provided at the bottom inside the device body 120, and a rotation unit 71 provided at the top of the device body 120. The lifting shelf 66 has a plurality of rollers 67 and side wall portions 68 that support the shafts of the rollers 67. The lifting shelf 66 is raised and lowered in the vertical direction by a lifting mechanism (not shown). The lifting mechanism supports the lifting shelf 66 by vertically extending pillars that constitute the device body 120 so that it can move freely in the vertical direction. The lifting mechanism raises and lowers the lifting shelf 66 by a ball screw (known mechanism) and a motor provided on each pillar under the control of a control unit 98 (FIG. 18).

[0064] The ball screw includes a screw shaft that extends vertically from the bottom of the device body 120 of the lid opening / closing device 12 and is supported rotatably, and a nut that is fixed to the lifting shelf 66 and screwed onto the screw shaft. The bottom of the device body 120 is provided with lifting shelf motors 92 (FIG. 18) that rotate the screw shafts. The control unit 98 rotates the screw shafts in one direction using the lifting shelf motors 92, thereby lifting the nuts and the lifting shelves 66. The control unit 98 also rotates the screw shafts in the opposite direction to the one direction using the lifting shelf motors 92, thereby lowering the nuts and the lifting shelves 66.

[0065] As described above, the case CS is transferred from the automated guided vehicle 10 to the lifting shelf 66. During this transfer, the rollers 67 rotate by the rotational driving force from the roller motor 91 (FIG. 18), and this rotation causes the case CS to move on the rollers 67 in the lifting shelf 66. When the rollers 67 rotate and the case CS moves on the rollers 67, the case CS hits a stopper (not shown) provided at an end of the device main body 120 in the transport direction of the case CS (the end on the side opposite to the automated guided vehicle 10). As a result, the case CS is positioned at a work position on the lifting shelf 66 below the rotation unit 71.

[0066] The rotation unit 71 is a mechanism for opening and closing the lid of the case CS, and further for removing contents from inside the case CS. The rotation unit 71 has a three-stage structure, and from the top, it is provided with an elevation rotation drive unit 74 on the first stage, an intermediate support body 73 on the second stage, and a ladder frame 72 on the third stage. A support shaft 75 of the elevation rotation drive unit 74 is supported by a ceiling or beam 76 (FIG. 17(C)) of the device main body 120 of the lid opening and closing device 12, and supports the rotation unit 71 in a state where it is suspended from the ceiling or beam 76.

[0067] FIG. 17(A) is a perspective view showing the rotation unit 71, (B) is a plan view showing the rotation unit 71, and (C) is a side view showing the rotation unit 71. As shown in FIG. 17(A), (B), and (C), the ladder frame 72 is formed by connecting two parallel frame members 72A with two frame members 72B that are perpendicular to the frame members 72A. A support plate 72C is fixed to the center of the length of each frame member 72B. A suction cup 77 for the lid is attached to the lower surface of each support plate 72C. In addition, a suction cup 78 for the contents is attached to both ends of the length of each frame member 72A. All of the two suction cups 77 for the lid and the four suction cups 78 for the contents are air suction cups, and a hose H that sucks air is connected to generate a suction force by negative pressure. It is not intended that the configuration of the suction cups adopted as the suction cups 77 for the lid and the suction cups 78 for the contents be limited to the configuration.

[0068] Further, a guide post 79 protrudes from each frame member 72B of the ladder frame 72, and each guide post 79 penetrates the intermediate support 73. The intermediate support 73 is a member that supports the ladder frame 72, and is formed, for example, of a flat plate-shaped member. Each guide post 79 is held by the intermediate support 73 so as to be movable up and down within the intermediate support 73. This allows the ladder frame 72 to move in a direction approaching and away from the intermediate support 73 (up and down). Here, two guide posts 79 are shown, but four guide posts 79 may be provided and the four guide posts 79 may be held so as to be movable up and down within the intermediate support 73.

[0069] The guide posts 79 are guided in the vertical movement by the intermediate support 73, and are lowered together with the ladder frame 72 due to the weight of the ladder frame 72. A stopper 79A is provided at the upper end of each guide post 79. The guide posts 79 are supported by the intermediate support 73, but are loosely fitted through holes formed in the intermediate support 73 for the guide posts 79 to pass through. The stopper 79A has a diameter larger than the hole and restricts the downward movement of the posts 79 relative to the intermediate support 73. The posts 79 move downward relative to the intermediate support 73, and the stopper 79A abuts against and engages with the intermediate support 73, stopping the descent of the ladder frame 72 relative to the intermediate support 73. That is, when the lid suction cup 77 is not pressed from below, the stopper 79A engages with the intermediate support 73, and the position of the ladder frame 72 relative to the intermediate support 73 is the lowest position.

[0070] Further, a guide pillar 81 extending upward is provided on the intermediate support 73. The guide pillar 81 passes through the lifting and rotating drive unit 74 and is held by the lifting and rotating drive unit 74 so as to be movable in the vertical direction. This allows the intermediate support 73 to move in a direction approaching and separating from the lifting and rotating drive unit 74 (vertical direction). Although one guide pillar 81 is shown here, two guide pillars 81 may be provided and the two guide pillars 81 may be held so as to be movable in the vertical direction relative to the lifting and rotating drive unit 74.

[0071] The intermediate support 73 is raised and lowered by a ball screw (known mechanism). The ball screw includes a screw shaft 82 rotatably supported on the lifting and rotating drive unit 74 side, and a nut 83 fixed to the intermediate support 73 and screwed onto the screw shaft 82. The lifting and rotating drive unit 74 is provided with an intermediate support motor 94 ( FIG. 18 ) that rotates the screw shaft 82. The intermediate support motor 94 rotates the screw shaft 82 in one direction, causing the nut 83 and the intermediate support 73 to rise. The intermediate support motor 94 rotates the screw shaft 82 in the opposite direction to the one direction, causing the nut 83 and the intermediate support 73 to descend.

[0072] For example, when the stoppers 79A at the upper ends of the guide posts 79 abut against the intermediate support 73 and the descent of the ladder frame 72 is stopped, the ladder frame 72 rises and falls together with the intermediate support 73.

[0073] Therefore, both the intermediate support 73 and the ladder frame 72 move in the direction toward and away from each other relative to the lifting and rotating drive unit 74 to lift and lower.

[0074] The shaft 75 of the lifting and rotating drive unit 74 is fixed to the ceiling or beam 76 of the device body 120 of the lid opening and closing device 12 as described above. The lifting and rotating drive unit 74 is supported rotatably around the shaft 75 and rotates together with the shaft 75. For example, a first spur gear is fixed concentrically to the shaft 75 so as to rotate together with the shaft 75, and a second spur gear is fixed to an output shaft of a rotary motor 95 (FIG. 18) provided in the lifting and rotating drive unit 74 so as to rotate together with the shaft 75. The first and second spur gears are meshed, and the second spur gear is rotated by the rotary motor 95 to rotate the lifting and rotating drive unit 74 together with the first spur gear and the shaft 75.

[0075] As described above, the lifting and rotating drive unit 74 is connected to the intermediate support 73 via a ball screw consisting of the guide pillar 81, the screw shaft 82, and the nut 83. The intermediate support 73 is also connected to the ladder frame 72 via each guide pillar 79. Therefore, when the lifting and rotating drive unit 74 rotates, the intermediate support 73 and the ladder frame 72 also rotate accordingly. Thus, the entire rotation unit 71 rotates around the support shaft 75.

[0076] The rotation center of the support shaft 75 coincides with the imaginary vertical line B, and the rotation unit 71 rotates about the imaginary vertical line B. The imaginary vertical line B passes through the center in the width direction and the length direction of the case CS that has been moved to the above-mentioned working position on each roller 67 of the lifting shelf 66.

[0077] The lifting and rotating drive unit 74 has two frame members 84 extending from the lifting and rotating drive unit 74 in parallel with each frame member 72A of the ladder frame 72, as shown in Fig. 17(A). Each frame member 84 is disposed at a position offset from the center of the support shaft 75 of the lifting and rotating drive unit 74. A rod 85 is provided at the tip of each frame member 84 on the opposite side to the lifting and rotating drive unit 74 so as to extend downward. A contact roller 86 is provided at the lower end of each rod 85.

[0078] 16, rails 87 extending in the transport direction of the cases CS are provided on the opposing inner walls of the device body 120 of the lid opening / closing device 12. Each rail 87 is disposed at a position lower than the rotating unit 71, and horizontally guides a movable shelf 88 (FIG. 30) which advances to a position below the rotating unit 71 by moving horizontally and retreats from that position.

[0079] For example, each rail 87 is provided with a plurality of drive wheels (not shown) that are arranged in parallel in the movement direction of the movable shelf 88 and contact the end of the movable shelf 88 in a direction perpendicular to the movement direction. The peripheral surface of each drive wheel rotates in the movement direction of the movable shelf 88. The end of the movable shelf 88 is placed on the peripheral surface. Each drive wheel is rotationally driven in one direction by a movable shelf motor 96 (FIG. 18), the movable shelf 88 is moved by each drive wheel as it is transported by the peripheral surface of the drive wheel, and the movable shelf 88 advances to a position below the rotation unit 71, and each drive wheel is rotationally driven in the direction opposite to the one direction by the movable shelf motor 96, causing the movable shelf 88 to retreat from the position below the rotation unit 71.

[0080] The movable shelf 88 is provided on the device body 120 of the lid opening / closing device 12, and is configured to be movable between a position on each rail 87 and an outer position that protrudes outward beyond the device body 120, which is to the side of the device body 120 of the lid opening / closing device 12. When the movable shelf 88 is moved to the outer position, one end of the movable shelf 88 is engaged and fixed to the device body 120, while the unfixed part of the movable shelf 88 protrudes outward beyond the device body 120.

[0081] Fig. 18 is a block diagram showing a control system of the lid body opening and closing device 12 of this embodiment. As shown in Fig. 18, the lid body opening and closing device 12 includes a roller motor 91 that supplies a rotational driving force for rotating each roller 67 of the lifting shelf 66, each lifting shelf motor 92 of the lifting mechanism that supplies a driving force for lifting and lowering the lifting shelf 66, an air pump 93A that sucks air from the hose H of each lid suction cup 77, an air pump 93B that sucks air from the hose H of each storage item suction cup 78, an intermediate support body motor 94 of the lifting and rotating drive unit 74 that lifts and lowers the intermediate support body 73, a rotation motor 95 of the lifting and rotating drive unit 74 that rotates the rotation unit 71 around the support shaft 75, a movable shelf motor 96 that supplies a driving force for moving the movable shelf 88, a communication unit 97, and a control unit 98.

[0082] The communication unit 97 is a communication interface equipped with a communication module such as a LAN chip (not shown), and is connected to the terminal device 65 via a wired or wireless LAN to transmit and receive data to and from the terminal device 65 .

[0083] The control unit 98 includes a processor, a RAM (Random Access Memory), a ROM (Read Only Memory), and a dedicated hardware circuit. The processor is, for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit), an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), or an MPU (Micro Processing Unit). The control unit 98 comprehensively controls each mechanism of the lid opening / closing device 12 by the operation of the processor in accordance with a control program stored in the ROM.

[0084] The control unit 98 drives and controls the roller motor 91 to rotate the rollers 67 of the lifting shelf 66, and drives and controls the lifting shelf motors 92 to lift and lower the lifting shelf 66. The control unit 98 also drives and controls the air pump 93A or 93B to turn on and off the suction of the lid suction cups 77 or the stored item suction cups 78. Furthermore, the control unit 98 drives and controls the intermediate support motor 94 to lift and lower the intermediate support 73, drives and controls the rotation motor 95 to rotate the rotation unit 71 together with the support shaft 75, and drives and controls the movable shelf motor 96 to move the movable shelf 88.

[0085] FIG. 19(A) is a perspective view showing the case CS, and FIG. 19(B) is a plan view showing the case CS. As shown in FIG. 19(A) and (B), the case CS includes a hollow rectangular parallelepiped main body 121 having an opening, and two lids 122. The opening is rectangular when the case CS is viewed from above. The lids 122 are provided on two opposing edges of the four edges of the main body 121 that form the opening, and open and close the opening. That is, the lids 122 are pivotally supported on two sides 121A that form the opening of the main body 121 so as to be freely opened and closed. The lids 122 have a wide portion 122A whose width is widened to the end opposite to the side pivotally supported on the side 121A, and a narrow portion 122B whose width is narrower than the wide portion 122A.

[0086] One edge of each lid 122 is rotatably supported by the edge of the main body 121. The wide portion 122A has a predetermined large dimension in width in a direction perpendicular to the direction in which one edge of the lid extends. The wide portion 122A has a predetermined small dimension smaller than the large dimension.

[0087] When each lid body 122 shown in Figure 19 (A) is in a state of closing the above-mentioned opening, the wide portion 122A of one lid body 122 comes into contact with the narrow portion 122B of the other lid body 122, and the narrow portion 122B of one lid body 122 comes into contact with the wide portion 122A of the other lid body 122, thereby covering the opening of the main body 121.

[0088] 20(A) shows a state in which each lid 122 of case CS is in the process of being opened, and (B) is a perspective view showing a state in which each lid 122 of case CS is open. As shown in Fig. 20(A) and (B), when each lid 122 is in the process of being opened and when each lid 122 is open, wide portion 122A of each lid protrudes upward and narrow portion 122B of each lid is recessed downward, i.e., the amount of upward protrusion is less than that of wide portion 122A.

[0089] In the lid opening / closing device 12 configured as described above, when the case CS moves from the unmanned transport vehicle 10 onto the rollers 67 of the lifting shelf 66, the rollers 67 are rotated, and the case CS moves to the above-mentioned working position below the rotating unit 71 and is positioned there. In this state, the lifting shelf 66 is raised and lowered, the lids 122 are attracted by the lid suction cups 77 of the rotating unit 71, the rotating unit 71 is rotated, and the like are performed in a preset order, and the lids 122 are opened. Then, the lifting shelf 66 is raised and lowered, the contents in the case CS are attracted by the contents suction cups 78 of the rotating unit 71, the movable shelf 88 advances and retreats, and the like are performed in a preset order, and the contents of the case CS are taken out. Furthermore, the lifting shelf 66 is raised and lowered, the rotating unit 71 is rotated, and the like are performed in a preset order, and the lids 122 are closed. After this, the case CS is transferred from the rollers 67 of the lifting shelf 66 to the unmanned transport vehicle 10.

[0090] Next, a control procedure for opening and closing each of the covers 122 of the case CS by the cover opening / closing device 12 as described above will be described in detail with reference to the flow chart shown in FIG.

[0091] When the case CS is transferred from the automated guided vehicle 10 onto each roller 67 of the lifting shelf 66, for example, a position detection sensor (such as an optical sensor) provided in the lid opening / closing device 12 detects the case CS that has been transferred onto each roller 67, and when the control unit 98 receives this detection signal from the position detection sensor, the control unit 98 starts the operation of the lid opening / closing device 12. Alternatively, when the case CS is transferred from the automated guided vehicle 10 onto each roller 67 of the lifting shelf 66, the user may operate the terminal device 65 to send a start instruction indicating the start of operation of the lid opening / closing device 12 to the lid opening / closing device 12, and the control unit 98 may start the operation of the lid opening / closing device 12 in accordance with this start instruction.

[0092] In the lid opening / closing device 12, when the detection signal or start instruction is received by the communication unit 97, the control unit 98 drives and controls the roller motor 91 in accordance with the detection signal or start instruction to rotate the rollers 67 and move and position the case CS to the work position (S201). Note that the lid opening / closing device 12 may not include the roller motor 91, and the rollers 67 may only rotate due to friction with the case CS, and the case CS may be transported to the work position by the operation of the arms 42 of the automated guided vehicle 10.

[0093] 22(A)(B), the rotation unit 71 is positioned above the case CS, and the center of the case CS is positioned on an extension of the support shaft 75 of the rotation unit 71. Also, each lid suction cup 77 of the ladder frame 72 is positioned above the wide portion 122A of each lid body 122 of the case CS. Each contact roller 86 of the lifting and rotating drive unit 74 is positioned above the case CS, near the boundary between the wide portion 122A of one lid body 122 and the narrow portion 122B of the other lid body 122, and further near the boundary between the wide portion 122A of the other lid body 122 and the narrow portion 122B of the one lid body 122.

[0094] The control unit 98 drives and controls each lifting shelf motor 92 of the lifting shelf 66 to lift the lifting shelf 66. As a result, each lid body 122 of the case CS comes into contact with each lid suction cup 77 of the ladder frame 72, as shown in Fig. 23(A), and the ladder frame 72 is slightly pushed up by each lid body 122 of the case CS. As a result, the ladder frame 72 rises and approaches the intermediate support 73, as shown in Fig. 23(B). At this time, as is clear from Fig. 22(A), the wide portion 122A of each lid body 122 of the case CS comes into contact with each lid suction cup 77.

[0095] The control unit 98 calculates a lifting distance, which is the sum of the distance of the lifting shelf 66 until each of the lid bodies 122 of the case CS comes into contact with each of the lid suction cups 77 of the ladder frame 72 and the distance (default value) each of the lid bodies 122 pushes up each of the lid suction cups 77, from the distance from each of the rollers 67 of the lifting shelf 66 before lifting to each of the lid suction cups 77 of the ladder frame 72 and the height of each of the lid bodies 122 of the case CS. The control unit 98 rotates the lifting shelf motor 92 of the lifting shelf 66 to lift the lifting shelf 66 by the above-mentioned lifting distance, and brings the wide portion 122A of each of the lid bodies 122 of the case CS into contact with each of the lid suction cups 77 of the ladder frame 72 (S202).

[0096] The control unit 98 controls the drive of the air pump 93A at the timing when the wide portion 122A of each lid body 122 of the case CS comes into contact with each lid suction cup 77 of the ladder frame 72 (the timing when the lifting shelf 66 has risen by the above-mentioned lifting distance), so that each lid body 122 is attracted to each lid suction cup 77. Then, the control unit 98 controls the drive of the lifting shelf motor 92 of the lifting shelf 66, so that the lifting shelf 66 is lowered by a predetermined fixed distance (S203). As a result, the wide portion 122A of each lid body 122 of the case CS is lifted by each lid suction cup 77 of the ladder frame 72, and each lid body 122 of the case CS is half-opened, as shown in Figs. 24(A) and (B). At this time, as shown in Figures 25(A) and (B), neither the wide portion 122A nor the narrow portion 122B of each lid body 122 interferes with the contact roller 86 at the lower end of each rod 85 of the lifting and rotating drive unit 74, and is in the half-open state. That is, the mounting positions and mounting attitudes of the two frame members 84 to the lifting and rotating drive unit 74, the mounting positions of the rods 85 to the frame members 84, and further the length of the rods 85 (the positions of the contact rollers 86 from the frame members 84) are set so that the lid bodies 122 do not come into contact with the lid bodies 122 when they are in the half-open state. When each lid body 122 is in the half-open state, the contact rollers 86 at the lower ends of the rods 85 are located below the uppermost ends of the wide portions 122A of each lid body 122 in the half-open state, and inside the wide portions 122A.

[0097] Furthermore, the control unit 98 controls the drive of the rotation motor 95 of the lifting and rotating drive unit 74 to rotate the rotation unit 71 in the counterclockwise direction indicated by the arrow around the support shaft 75 as seen from above the rotation unit 71, as shown in FIG. 25(A) as an example, and stops the rotation unit 71 at a position rotated 90° as shown in FIG. 26 and FIG. 27(A)(B) (S204). At this time, the contact rollers 86 at the lower ends of the rods 85 of the lifting and rotating drive unit 74 contact the inside of the upper end of the wide portion 122A of each lid 122, pressing the wide portion 122A from the inside. As a result, each lid 122 of the case CS is fully opened.

[0098] After each of the lids 122 of the case CS is thus opened, the control unit 98 stops the operation of the air pump 93A. This causes each of the lid suction cups 77 to stop sucking each of the lids 122. Next, the control unit 98 drives and controls the lifting shelf motor 92 of the lifting shelf 66 to further lower the lifting shelf 66, and drives and controls the rotation motor 95 of the lifting rotation drive unit 74 to rotate the rotation unit 71 in the clockwise direction in Fig. 25, returning it to the original rotation position before the counterclockwise rotation as shown in Fig. 28 (S205).

[0099] From this state, the control unit 98 drives and controls each of the lifting shelf motors 92 of the lifting shelf 66 to raise the lifting shelf 66 until each of the suction cups 78 for the contents of the ladder frame 72 reaches a position where it contacts the contents (e.g., a pallet) M in the case CS, as shown in Fig. 29. Next, the control unit 98 drives and controls the air pump 93B to suck the contents M to each of the suction cups 78 for the contents. Then, the control unit 98 drives and controls each of the lifting shelf motors 92 of the lifting shelf 66 to lower the lifting shelf 66 until the contents M sucked by each of the suction cups 78 for the contents of the contents of the case CS reaches an upper position outside the case CS, as shown in Fig. 30. This causes the rotation unit 71 to remove the contents M from the case CS.

[0100] Furthermore, the control unit 98 drives and controls the movable shelf motor 96 to move the movable shelf 88 from the outer position to a position below the rotation unit 71, and drives and controls the air pump 93B to release the suction of the contents M by each of the suction cups 78 for the contents. As a result, the contents M are separated from the suction cups 78 for the contents and placed on the movable shelf 88. The control unit 98 drives and controls the movable shelf motor 96 to move the movable shelf 88 together with the contents M out from below the rotation unit 71, move the movable shelf 88 to the outer position, and cause the movable shelf 88 to protrude outward beyond the device body 120 of the lid opening and closing device 12 (S206). The protrusion amount of the movable shelf 88 is set so that the contents M placed on the movable shelf 88 moves outward beyond the lid opening and closing device 12 when the movable shelf 88 moves to the outer position.

[0101] When the movable shelf 88 moves to the outer position, and the contents M placed on the movable shelf 88 moves to a position outward of the lid opening / closing device 12, the contents M are mechanically or manually collected at this position. For example, if the contents M consist of a tray and items placed on the tray, the robot mechanism collects the items from the tray at the above-mentioned position. At this time, the tray that has been emptied after all the items have been collected falls off of its support by the movable shelf 88 due to the operation of the movable shelf 88, and is stored in a storage box that stores the tray. In other words, multiple empty trays are collected into the storage box.

[0102] The control unit 98 repeats S206 if there are multiple items M in the case CS. The control unit 98 removes the items M one by one, and ends S206 when all the items M in the case CS have been removed.

[0103] At this time, the rotation unit 71 is in the same position as that shown in Fig. 25. Here, the control unit 98 controls the drive of the rotation motor 95 of the lifting and rotation drive unit 74 to rotate the rotation unit 71 in the clockwise direction from that position, and moves the contact rollers 86 at the lower ends of the rods 85 of the lifting and rotation drive unit 74 to the outside of the lids 122 of the case CS (S208), as shown in Fig. 31(A).

[0104] Next, the control unit 98 drives and controls each lifting shelf motor 92 of the lifting shelf 66 to raise the lifting shelf 66, and as shown in Figure 31 (B), each lid body 122 of the case CS moves into the inside of the abutment rollers 86 at the lower end of each rod 85 of the lifting rotation drive unit 74, and moves the abutment rollers 86 to a position outside each lid body 122 of the case CS (S208).

[0105] Then, when the rotation unit 71 is in the state shown in Fig. 31(B), the control unit 98 drives and controls the rotation motor 95 of the lifting and rotation drive unit 74 to further rotate the rotation unit 71 in the clockwise direction in Fig. 31(B) and return it to the same posture as the state shown in Fig. 25 (S209). In the process of the rotation unit 71 returning to that posture, the contact rollers 86 at the lower ends of the rods 85 of the lifting and rotation drive unit 74 press the upper ends of the wide parts 122A of the lids 122 from the outside, as shown in Fig. 32(B). This causes each lid 122 to start falling in the closing direction.

[0106] Here, a protruding mechanism is provided on a side of the device body 120 of the lid opening / closing device 12 (a side wall provided on a part of the device body 120 that is on the side opposite to the automated guided vehicle 10 and does not interfere with the movement of the movable shelf 88). The protruding mechanism includes a storage section provided on the side wall, a rod-shaped protruding part 300 that protrudes from the storage section when stored in the storage section and reaches a position above the opening of the main body 121 of the case CS, and an actuator (not shown) that causes the protruding part to perform the protruding operation. The control unit 98 controls the operation of the actuator. That is, the protruding part 300 performs the protruding operation by an actuator such as a solenoid controlled by the control unit 98. When the cover 122 is pressed from the outside by the abutment member 86, the control unit 98 controls the operation of the actuator to cause the protrusion 300 to protrude to a position above the opening of the main body 121, for example at a timing after S209 (S210).

[0107] When each lid 122 starts to fall in the closing direction, as shown in FIG. 33, a part of each lid 122 is locked by the protruding portion 300 protruding as described above, and the movement of each lid 122 in the closing direction is temporarily stopped. That is, the protruding portion 300 is provided at a position where a part of each lid 122 is locked. At this time, the control unit 98 controls the operation of the actuator to move the protruding portion 300 to a position where it is stored in the storage unit (S211) after a predetermined time has elapsed from the processing time of S210 (a predetermined time required for the wide portion 122A of each lid 122 to reach the protruding portion 300 from the processing time of S210). As a result, the wide portion 122A of each lid 122 falls under its own weight, and is in a state of covering the opening of the main body 121 of the case CS and closing the opening, as shown in FIG. 19.

[0108] Thereafter, the control unit 98 drives and controls each lifting shelf motor 92 of the lifting shelf 66 to raise and lower the lifting shelf 66, and moves the lifting shelf 66 to a position where the top of the circumferential surfaces of the multiple rollers 67 is at approximately the same height as the working unit 23 of the unmanned guided vehicle 10 (S212).

[0109] Next, the control unit 98 drives and controls the roller motor 91 that rotates each roller 67 of the lifting shelf 66 to rotate each roller 67 in the direction opposite to that in S201, thereby moving the case CS toward the automatic guided vehicle 10 (S213).

[0110] In the unmanned transport vehicle 10, the control unit 64 controls the case CS to move from above the lid opening / closing device 12 to the unmanned transport vehicle 10 (S214). That is, in the unmanned transport vehicle 10, the control unit 64 drives and controls the arm drive motors 45 to project each arm 42 to the lid opening / closing device 12 side. This results in a state in which the case CS on the lift shelf 66 is present between the arms 42. The control unit 64 drives each claw drive motor 56 to project the first claw portion 51 on the inner tip of each arm 42, and in this state, drives and controls the arm drive motors 45 to retract each arm 42 from the lid opening / closing device 12 and onto the working unit 23. At this time, each first claw portion 51 is caught by the case CS, and the case CS moves together with each arm 42 from above the lid opening / closing device 12 to the working unit 23 of the unmanned transport vehicle 10. After this, the control unit 64 causes the unmanned transport vehicle 10 to travel in a predetermined direction.

[0111] In this manner, in the lid opening / closing device 12 of the present embodiment, the case CS is transferred from the automated guided vehicle 10 onto the rollers 67 of the lifting shelf 66, and the lifting shelf 66 is raised and lowered, the lids 122 are attracted by the lid suction cups 77 of the ladder frame 72, the rotation unit 71 is rotated, and the like are performed in a preset order to open the lids 122. Then, the lifting shelf 66 is raised and lowered, the contents in the case CS are attracted by the contents suction cups 78 of the ladder frame 72, the movable shelf 88 advances and retreats, and the like are performed in a preset order to remove the contents. Furthermore, the lifting shelf 66 is raised and lowered, the rotation unit 71 is rotated, and the like are performed in a preset order to close the lids 122. For this reason, the above-described mechanisms of the lid opening / closing device 12 can open and close the lids 122 of the case CS with a simple configuration without the need for an arm robot or the like.

[0112] In the above embodiment, the lifting shelf 66 is raised and lowered to move the cases CS on each roller 67 of the lifting shelf 66 closer to and farther away from the rotation unit 71, but a configuration in which the rotation unit 71 is raised and lowered to move the cases CS closer to and farther away from the rotation unit 71 may also be adopted.

[0113] Incidentally, the configurations and processes of the above-mentioned embodiment and modified examples described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 33 are merely examples of the present invention, and it is not intended that the present invention be limited to these configurations and processes. [Explanation of symbols]

[0114] 10. Automated Guided Vehicles 11 Conveyor 12 Lid opening and closing device 15 Driving Line 16 Roller 22 Running part 23 Working Section 31 Caster 32 Drive wheels 41 Supporting wall 42 Arm 43 Slide rail 51 1st claw part 52 2nd claw part 33 Each travel drive motor 45 Arm drive motors 55 Each jaw drive motor 56 Each jaw drive motor 61 Imaging camera 62 Travel sensor 63 Communications Department 64 Control Unit 66 Adjustable Shelf 71 Rotating Unit 72 Ladder Frame 73 Intermediate Support 74 Lifting and rotating drive unit 77 Suction cup for lid 78 Suction cup for contents 85 Rod 86 Contact roller 97 Communications Department 98 Control Unit Sy Automated Guided Vehicle System

Claims

1. A housing in which a lid is opened and closed by a lid opening and closing device, The housing includes: A hollow body formed of a rectangular parallelepiped with an opening; a pair of lids provided on two opposing edges of the main body that form the opening, the lids being rectangular in top view, for opening and closing the opening; The pair of lids are One edge of the cover is supported rotatably on the edge of the main body, The cover includes a wide portion having a width dimension in a direction perpendicular to a direction in which one of the lid edges extends, the wide portion having a predetermined large dimension, and a narrow portion having a predetermined small dimension smaller than the large dimension, The lid opening and closing device is a rotation unit that is provided above a position where the storage housing is placed, moves toward or away from the storage housing, and rotates about a virtual vertical line that passes through the storage housing; The rotating unit includes: a suction cup for a lid that approaches the housing together with the rotation unit, adheres to the pair of lid bodies of the housing, and moves together with the rotation unit in a direction away from the housing to lift and open the pair of lid bodies; a contact member that is provided on the rotating unit at a position on the inside of the pair of lid bodies lifted by the lid suction cup, and that rotates together with the rotating unit to come into contact with the inside of the pair of lid bodies when the lid suction cup is detached from the pair of lid bodies, and presses the pair of lid bodies from their insides in a direction in which the pair of lid bodies are opened, The lid suction cup, when attached to the lids of the storage case, is attached to the outsides of the wide portions of the pair of lids.

2. when the lid suction cups of the lid opening / closing device are detached from the pair of lids of the storage housing and the pair of lids are open, the abutment member is moved together with the rotation unit in a direction away from the pair of lids, and then the abutment member is rotated together with the rotation unit to position the abutment member outside the pair of lids, and the abutment member is rotated together with the rotation unit to press the pair of lids from their outsides with the abutment member; 2. The storage housing according to claim 1, wherein the pair of lid bodies are tilted in a closing direction by the pressure, and when the pair of lid bodies close the opening, the wide portion of one of the lid bodies contacts the narrow portion of the other lid body.

3. The abutment member of the lid opening and closing device is When the pair of lid bodies are pressed from the inside, the pair of lid bodies come into contact with the insides of the wide portions of the pair of lid bodies, The storage housing according to claim 2 , wherein when the pair of lid bodies are pressed from outside thereof, the pressing force comes into contact with outsides of the wide portions of the pair of lid bodies.

Images