Transport device

Abstract

To provide a transport device equipped with an identifier that can reduce the frequency of maintenance while maintaining functionality.SOLUTION: A transport device S includes a plurality of transport carts 10 that move along a transport path LN while carrying items W, an identifier 20 installed on the side of the transport cart 10, an identifier 20 installed on the transport cart 10 in a state visible from the outside, and control means 30 that reads the identifier 20 and identifies the transport cart 10. The identifier 20 displays an identification pattern set for each transport cart 10 using a plurality of markers 21.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a conveying device that conveys articles using a conveying carriage. [Background technology]

[0002] In a conveying device that conveys workpieces using pallets (conveying carriages) that move along a set conveying path, it has been conventional to install an identifier for each of the multiple pallets to identify each of them. For example, Patent Document 1 proposes a technique that employs a barcode, an IC tag, or the like as an identifier. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2017-109287 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In such a configuration, if the barcode is covered with spatter, sealer, or the like, or is rubbed, the information on the barcode may become unreadable and unidentifiable. Therefore, in order to ensure more reliable identification, there is a problem in that the identifiers must be frequently maintained.

[0005] The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and has an object to provide a transport device equipped with an identifier that can reduce the frequency of maintenance while maintaining functionality. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the conveying device of the present invention comprises a plurality of conveying carts that move along a conveying path while carrying articles, an identifier installed on the side of the conveying cart, and a control means that reads the identifier and identifies the conveying cart, and the identifier is characterized in that it comprises a plurality of markers that are arranged in accordance with an identification pattern set for each conveying cart. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a transport device equipped with an identifier that can reduce the frequency of maintenance while maintaining functionality. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the transport device of the present embodiment. [Figure 2] 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating a configuration of a conveying device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating the configuration of an identifier according to the present embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing the positions of each section set in the bogie body. [Figure 5] FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram showing how markers are installed on the carriage body. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] A transport device S according to one embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. In the description, the same elements are given the same reference numerals and redundant description will be omitted. The transport device S of this embodiment moves a plurality of transport vehicles 10, each carrying a workpiece W (for example, a white body that constitutes a vehicle body), along a transport path LN.

[0010] While the transport vehicle 10 moves along the transport path LN, the workpiece W (article) is subjected to processes such as assembling parts and welding, and inspection after processing. Furthermore, each transport vehicle 10 is provided with an identifier 20, and the identifier 20 is associated with the specifications of the workpiece. Then, while the transporting vehicle 10 moves along the transport path, the identifier 20 is read, and the workpiece W is subjected to processing according to the specifications, inspection after processing, and the like.

[0011] The transport device S of this embodiment includes a transport vehicle 10 and a control means 30 (see FIGS. 1 and 2). The transport vehicle 10 includes a vehicle body 11 and a loading platform 12. The carriage main body 11 has a rectangular frame shape, and is disposed so that the rectangular frame shape faces the floor surface (see FIGS. 2 and 4). At the four corners of the carriage body 11, pillars 13 extend in the vertical direction. The pillar 13 located at the right front of the transporting vehicle 10 is referred to as the right front pillar 13a, and the pillar 13 located at the right rear of the transporting vehicle 10 is referred to as the right rear pillar 13b. The pillar 13 located at the left front of the transporting vehicle 10 is referred to as the left front pillar 13c, and the pillar 13 located at the left rear of the transporting vehicle 10 is referred to as the left rear pillar 13d.

[0012] Four pillars 13 support the loading platform 12 from below, and the workpiece W is placed on the loading platform 12 (see FIGS. 2 and 4). Wheels 14 are provided at the bottom ends of the pillars 13 so that the pillars 13 can move along the rail-like transport path LN. Identifiers 20 are provided on the left and right outer surfaces of the transporting carriage 10 (cart body 11 and pillars 13).

[0013] On the left and right outer surfaces (where the identifiers 20 are to be installed) of the transporting vehicle 10, sections are set in which markers 21, which will be described later, are selectively placed (see FIGS. 4 and 5). The 17 sections, from Section 1 to Section 17, are set up in locations that are visible from outside. Sections 1 to 13 are set up as bogie information sections and are arranged horizontally at a constant height. Areas 14 to 17 are designated as directional areas.

[0014] The bogie information sections 1 to 7 are arranged on the left side of the bogie main body 11, and sections 8 to 13 are arranged on the right side of the bogie main body 11. The direction indicator section 14 is located on the outer surface of the upper end of the right rear pillar section 13b, and section 15 is located on the outer surface of the upper end of the right front pillar section 13a. In addition, section 16 is located on the outer surface of the upper end of the left rear pillar section 13d, and section 17 is located on the outer surface of the upper end of the left front pillar section 13c.

[0015] That is, the direction indication section is located above the bogie information section, and the bogie information section and the direction indication section are distinguished by changing the height. This allows the bogie information area to be set on the entire side of the bogie body 11 from the front end to the rear end of the bogie body 11.

[0016] The identifier 20 includes a bogie information section represented by a marker 21 arranged in the bogie information section, and a direction indication section represented by a marker 21 arranged in the direction indication section (see FIGS. 4 and 5). The marker 21 will be described later.

[0017] In the carriage information section, an identification pattern is set for each carriage 10, and indicates the vehicle number of each carriage 10. The specifications of the workpiece W are linked to the vehicle body number. Therefore, while the transporting carriages 10 are moving along the transport route, it is not necessary to keep the order of the transporting carriages 10 in the process of processing the workpieces.

[0018] This allows the transport vehicle 10 in question to be removed from the transport line and the work carried out individually when correction or reprocessing is required in an individual work process. That is, the workpiece W can be corrected and reprocessed for each transport vehicle 10 without stopping the entire line, thereby increasing productivity.

[0019] The arrangement pattern (identification pattern) of the markers 21 shown in the bogie information section is made up of a 13-digit binary number, and each of the 13 digits corresponds to sections 1 to 13 of the bogie information section. The identification pattern represents a binary "0" by not placing a marker 21 in each section, and represents a "1" by placing a marker 21 in each section. It is also possible to configure the section so that "0" is represented by placing a marker 21 in the section, and "1" is represented by not placing a marker 21.

[0020] The bogie information section is composed of information bits, code bits, and parity bits (see Figure 3-5). The information bits represent the vehicle number of the transport vehicle 10 as an eight-digit binary number, and correspond to sections 1 to 8. That is, in this embodiment, up to 256 transporting vehicles 10 can be identified. If the number of transport vehicles 10 exceeds 256, this can be accommodated by appropriately increasing the number of digits of the information bits to 9 digits, 10 digits, etc., depending on the number of vehicles.

[0021] The code bit is represented by a four-digit binary number calculated according to the extended Hamming code method, and corresponds to rows 9 to 12. When the number of digits of the information bits increases, the number of digits of the code bits is changed appropriately according to the number of digits of the information bits.

[0022] The parity bit is represented by a single binary digit and corresponds to row 13. The parity bit is set to "0" if the sum of the number of "1"s in the information bits and code bits is even, and to "1" if the sum is odd. In this way, the bogie information section and the parity bits are configured in accordance with the extended Hamming code technique. This makes it possible to detect and correct errors when there is a change in one bit, and to detect errors when there is a change in two bits.

[0023] The direction indicator indicates the traveling direction (front-rear direction) of each transporting vehicle 10, and is made up of sections 14 to 17 (see FIG. 3-5). The identification pattern displayed on the direction indicator is set to a pattern that is common to all of the transporting vehicles 10. Furthermore, the marker 21 constituting the direction indicator is arranged at the upper end portion of the side surface of the pillar 13 so as to be visible from both the left and right sides.

[0024] The identification pattern of the direction indicator is such that there is one marker 21 in section 14 (outer surface of right rear pillar section 13b) and no marker 21 in section 15 (outer surface of right front pillar section 13a). In addition, there is one marker 21 in section 16 (the outer surface of the left rear pillar portion 13d), and two markers 21 in section 17 (the outer surface of the left front pillar portion 13c). That is, the direction indicator has an identification pattern set so that the right side and the left side can be distinguished from each other.

[0025] In this way, by providing a direction indicator, even if the transport cart 10 moves along the transport path with the front and rear reversed, it is possible to identify whether the side read by the imaging means 32 described below is the left side or the right side. This prevents misreading of the carriage information section even if the carriage 10 is facing backwards relative to the traveling direction. It should be noted that the identification pattern of the direction indicator is not limited to that of the present embodiment, as long as it is an identification pattern that allows identification of whether it is the right side or the left side.

[0026] The control means 30 includes an identification pattern creation unit 31, an imaging means 32, and a determination unit 33 (see FIGS. 1 and 2). The discrimination pattern creation unit 31 calculates the discrimination pattern using a program that complies with the extended Hamming code technique. The identification pattern calculated by the identification pattern creating unit 31 corresponds to the vehicle number of each transporting vehicle 10 and is expressed in binary.

[0027] The imaging means 32 is composed of a camera 32a and a light source 32b. The imaging means 32 applies optical motion capture technology, which is used to digitize the movements of people and objects. That is, in this embodiment, the camera 32a and the markers 21 are those used for optical motion capture.

[0028] The camera 32a is installed at an imaging point set on the transport path LN. The cameras 32a are disposed on the right and left sides of the image capturing point across the transport path LN. The right camera 32a is positioned so that the entire right side of the platform vehicle 10 positioned at the imaging point falls within its angle of view. The left camera 32a is positioned so that the entire left side of the platform vehicle 10 positioned at the imaging point falls within its angle of view.

[0029] That is, the left and right cameras 32a are arranged so that the left and right identifiers 20 are within their respective angles of view. Each camera 32a is configured as a so-called digital camera capable of taking infrared photographs. Each camera 32a is also provided with a light source 32b that emits infrared light, which is arranged in a circle around the lens.

[0030] The determination unit 33 reads the identification pattern from the captured image and determines the vehicle identification number. When reading the identification pattern, the determination unit 33 determines whether or not a reading error has occurred using an extended Hamming code technique. If a reading error is confirmed, the worker is notified that an error has occurred in the identifier.

[0031] The marker 21 is made of a spherical member made of a retroreflective material, and reflects infrared rays emitted from the camera 32a directly back toward the camera (see FIGS. 4 and 5). All the markers 21 are made of the same material and have the same shape. The spherical diameter of the markers 21 is set to a size that does not protrude from each section, allows adjacent markers to be distinguished from each other when viewed from the camera 32a, and does not overlap each other.

[0032] The spherical diameter of the marker 21 is set to a size (diameter of about 10 to 20 mm) that is sufficiently larger than the spatter (not shown) that is scattered during welding. Therefore, even if spatter adheres to the marker 21 during the welding process, the spatter does not cover the entire marker 21, thereby reducing errors in reading the identifier 20. Then, in the imaging means 32, each camera 32a photographs the side of the transporting vehicle 10 in synchronization with the timing at which the light source 32b emits infrared light, and records the state in which the markers 21 reflect the infrared light.

[0033] Next, the effects of this embodiment will be described. In the transporting device S of this embodiment, the identifier 20 displays an identification pattern set for each transporting vehicle 10 using a plurality of markers 21. With this configuration, even if spatter scattered during the welding process or other matter adheres to the marker 21, the marker 21 will be sufficiently larger than the adhered matter. This allows the identifier 20 to be read more reliably, thereby reducing the frequency of maintenance while maintaining the functionality of the identifier 20.

[0034] Furthermore, by using the marker 21 as the identifier 20, the entire side surface of the transport vehicle 10 can be used as the identifier 20. This allows a wider range to be used for the identifier 20 compared to when the identification pattern is displayed as a bar code, thereby increasing the degree of freedom in design.

[0035] Furthermore, by using the marker 21 as the identifier 20, when motion capture is performed during a process, the equipment used to identify the transport vehicle 10 can be used in common as the equipment for motion capture. This allows the configuration of the transport device S to be simplified.

[0036] In this embodiment, the identification pattern of the identifier 20 is set in accordance with the extended Hamming code technique. With this configuration, if one marker 21 cannot be read when reading the identification pattern, it is possible to correct the missing marker 21 and the read vehicle identification number.

[0037] Furthermore, if two markers 21 cannot be read, it can be detected that the read information contains an error. This allows errors to be detected when the identification pattern is read, thereby preventing processing errors. In other words, robustness against disturbances can be improved.

[0038] Furthermore, maintenance of the identifier 20 can be performed only when the marker 21 cannot be read, and there is no need to perform maintenance periodically before the marker 21 cannot be read. This allows the frequency of maintenance of the identifier 20 to be further reduced.

[0039] In this embodiment, the identifier 20 is provided with a direction indicator for distinguishing between the right side and the left side. With this configuration, it becomes possible to distinguish between the right side and the left side, and therefore the identification pattern can be divided and installed on the left and right side surfaces. This allows more sections to be set on the side, making it possible to identify more transport vehicles 10.

[0040] In this embodiment, the marker 21 is of a type that reflects infrared rays, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, it is possible to employ a self-luminous active type marker (not shown). Even when an active type marker is employed, it is possible to set the infrared ray marker on the transport vehicle 10 in an identification pattern similar to that of the reflective type marker 21, and have the camera 32a read the pattern. This makes it possible to achieve the same effects as those of the above-described embodiment.

[0041] When an active type marker is employed, a configuration can be adopted in which markers are placed in all bits of the bogie information section. In such a case, when reading the identifier 20, the "0" marker is turned off and the "1" marker is turned on according to the identification pattern set for each transporting vehicle 10. Furthermore, before and after reading the identifier 20, all the markers 21 are turned on to check whether any of the markers 21 are missing, thereby preventing reading errors. In other words, reading errors can be prevented without using the extended Hamming code technique. This makes it possible to allocate the bits that were allocated to the code bit and parity bit to the information bit, thereby enabling a larger number of transport vehicles 10 to be identified and managed. [Explanation of symbols]

[0042] S conveying device W Item (processing object) LN transport route 10 Transport cart 20 Identifiers 21 Marker 30 Control Means

Claims

1. a plurality of transport vehicles that move along a transport route while carrying articles; an identifier attached to a side of the transport vehicle; an identifier attached to the transport vehicle in a state visible from the outside; a control means for reading the identifier and identifying the transport vehicle; Equipped with The identifier is: The identification pattern set for each transport vehicle is displayed using a plurality of markers. A conveying device characterized by:

2. 2. The conveying device according to claim 1, The identification pattern of the marker is It was set according to the extended Hamming code method. A conveying device characterized by:

3. 3. The conveying device according to claim 1 or 2, The identifier is The conveying platform is divided and arranged on the right side and the left side of the conveying platform, The direction indicator is provided so that the identification patterns of the markers are different on the right side and the left side. A conveying device characterized by:

Images