Conveying system

Abstract

To provide a new conveyance system for conveying an article by using a floating linear conveyance device.SOLUTION: The conveying system comprises a plurality of supply conveyors 20 and a floating linear conveying device 30. The floating linear conveying device 30 is provided with a plurality of movable bodies M having a movable element 36 and a conveying surface 31 spreading in the horizontal direction above the coil spread all over. By controlling the magnetic force acting between the coil and the movable element 36, each movable body M can move along the conveying surface 31 while floating from the conveying surface 31. Each movable body M receives the article W from the conveyance terminal end part 21 of the supply conveyor 20 of each row separated upward from the conveyance surface 31, and conveys the received article W to a discharge position P arranged upward separated from the conveyance surface 31. The position of one conveyance terminal part 21 is shifted in the conveyance direction with respect to the position of the adjacent conveyance terminal part 21 so that the articles W can be placed from the conveyance terminal part 21 of each row without mutual interference of the respective movable bodies M.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a transport system that transports articles using a floating linear transport device. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, floating linear conveyance devices have been known that control the magnetic field emitted from coils disposed below a horizontally extending conveyance surface, allowing multiple movers to move freely along the conveyance surface in a floating state spaced apart from the conveyance surface. For example, Patent Document 1 proposes that each movable body, including a mover, transports an object by moving straight along a travel route set above the conveyance surface while holding the object, or by rotating to change the orientation of the held object. Such floating linear conveyance devices are advantageous in that the travel route of the movable body can be changed simply by setting the travel route by controlling the magnetic field emitted by the coils, and also in that cleaning and maintenance of structures such as track rails is not required. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2024-027985 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, the above-mentioned Patent Document 1 merely proposes one method of transporting goods using a floating linear conveying device, and it cannot be said that a method of transporting goods using a floating linear conveying device has yet been adequately proposed.

[0005] An object of the present invention is to provide a new transport system that transports articles using a floating linear transport device. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to solve the above problems, the conveying system of the present invention takes the following measures. First, the invention according to claim 1 comprises a plurality of supply conveyors (20) arranged in a row in a width direction intersecting with the conveying direction of the articles (W), a conveying surface (31) extending horizontally above a spread of coils, a plurality of movable bodies (M) each having a mover (36) that can move along the conveying surface (31) while floating above the conveying surface (31) and that can place the articles (W) discharged from each of the conveying terminal ends (21) of the supply conveyors (20) arranged at a distance from the conveying surface (31), and a magnetism acting between the coils and the mover (36) that controls the movement of the movable bodies (M). The supply conveyor (20) is provided with a floating linear transport device (30) having a control unit for controlling the movement of each of the movable bodies (M), and a discharge position (P) which is located downstream of the transport terminal end (21) and spaced above the transport surface (31) and discharges the items (W) placed on the movable bodies (M), and the position of one of the transport terminal ends (21) is shifted in the transport direction relative to the position of the adjacent transport terminal end (21) so that each of the movable bodies (M) can place the items (W) from their respective transport terminal ends (21) without interfering with each other.

[0007] According to the invention of claim 1, the position of one conveying end 21 of a supply conveyor 20 is shifted in the conveying direction relative to the position of the conveying end 21 of the adjacent supply conveyor 20 so that the movable bodies M can receive articles W from their respective conveying end 21 without interfering with each other. This narrows the spacing between rows aligned in the width direction intersecting the conveying direction. This makes it possible to reduce the overall width size of the supply conveyor 20. This makes it possible to provide a new conveying system that conveys articles W using a floating linear conveying device 30.

[0008] Next, the invention according to claim 2 dependent on claim 1 comprises a discharge conveyor (40) that places and conveys the article (W) by a first cord-like body (42) consisting of one endless cord-like body or a plurality of endless cord-like bodies spaced apart in the width direction of the article (W), and the discharge conveyor (40) has a conveyance start end (41) spaced above the conveyance surface (31) as the discharge position (P), and the first cord-like body (42) is inclined upward from the conveyance start end (41) toward the downstream side, and each of the movable bodies (M) is provided with the article (W) on an upper part of the movable element (36). The conveyor (20) has an article placement section (37) on which an article (W) can be placed, and a groove section (39) formed in the article placement section (37) that is narrower than the article (W) and has a predetermined depth. After the article (W) discharged from the conveying end section (21) of the supply conveyor (20) is placed on the article placement section (37), the conveying start section (41) consisting of the first cord-like body (42) is inserted into the groove section (39), and the article (W) placed on the article placement section (37) is transferred onto the first cord-like body (42).

[0009] According to the invention of claim 2, when the movable body (M) that has moved to the discharge position (P) transfers the item (W) placed on the item placement section (37) to the conveying start end (41) of the discharge conveyor (40) that serves as the discharge position (P), the conveying start end (41) of the discharge conveyor (40) is inserted into the groove section (39) formed in the item placement section (37) of the movable body (M) and then transferred onto the first cord-like body (42), thereby enabling smooth transfer of the item (W).

[0010] Next, the invention of claim 3, which is dependent on claim 2, is such that the number of rows of the discharge conveyor (40) is different from the number of rows of the supply conveyor (20), and each of the movable bodies (M) that has placed the item (W) from the conveying end (21) in the multiple rows of the supply conveyor (20) can transport the item (W) to the common discharge conveyor (40).

[0011] According to the invention of claim 3, the number of rows of the discharge conveyor (40) is different from the number of rows of the supply conveyor (20), and the movable bodies (M) corresponding to each row on which articles (W) are placed can transport the articles (W) from the conveying end portions (21) of the multiple rows of the supply conveyor (20) to the common discharge conveyor (40). Therefore, even if the discharge conveyor (40) is set to have various numbers of rows, it is possible to provide various conveying lines that can deliver articles (W) from the supply conveyor (20) to the discharge conveyor (40) simply by controlling and setting the discharge positions (P) to which each of the movable bodies (M) on which articles (W) are placed is directed.

[0012] Next, the invention of claim 4, which is dependent on any one of claims 1 to 3, is such that the movable body (M) runs under each row of the supply conveyor (20) in the conveying direction of each row toward the conveying terminal end (21) of each row of the supply conveyor (20), and places the item (W) discharged from the conveying terminal end (21) on it.

[0013] According to the invention of claim 4, the movable body (M) travels under each row in the conveying direction of each row toward the conveying end (21) of each row on the supply conveyor (20), and places the article (W) discharged from the conveying end (21) of the supply conveyor (20) on it, thereby avoiding contact with the movable body (M) in the adjacent row. Furthermore, when placing the article (W) on the movable body (M), it is possible to prevent the article (W) from shifting in the width direction, which intersects with the conveying direction, when the article (W) is transferred to the movable body (M).

[0014] Next, the invention of claim 5, which is dependent on claim 4, is such that each of the movable bodies (M) waits in a formation (F) of multiple rows and columns spaced apart from each other in the conveying direction and the width direction below each column on the upstream side of the supply conveyor (20), corresponding to the arrangement of the conveying terminal ends (21) of the supply conveyor (20) which are offset in the conveying direction, and travels in the formation (F) toward the conveying terminal ends (21) and receives the items (W) from each of the conveying terminal ends (21) of the supply conveyor (20).

[0015] According to the invention of claim 5, in accordance with the arrangement (pattern) of the conveyance terminal ends (21) of each row on the supply conveyor (20), a plurality of rows and columns (F) are formed and waited at intervals in the conveyance direction and width direction below each row on the upstream side of the supply conveyor (20), and each row (F) travels toward the conveyance terminal ends (21) and receives articles (W) from each conveyance terminal end (21), thereby making it possible to synchronize the timing at which the movable bodies (M) arrive below the conveyance terminal ends (21) of each row. This makes it possible to shorten the time it takes for all the movable bodies (M) to finish placing articles (W) from each conveyance terminal end (21).

[0016] Next, in the invention according to claim 6 dependent on claim 5, the formation (F) is such that the movable bodies (M) are aligned in a staggered pattern.

[0017] According to the invention of claim 6, by arranging the movable bodies (M) in a staggered formation (F), the arrangement (pattern) of the conveying ends (21) of each line on the supply conveyor (20) is also set in a staggered form, and two types of supply conveyors (20) are arranged side by side, one with a long distance to the conveying end (21) of each line. Therefore, in order to synchronize the timing at which the articles (W) arrive at the conveying end (21) of each line, it is possible to simplify conveyor control, such as controlling the speed of each line of the supply conveyor (20).

[0018] Next, the invention of claim 7, which is dependent on any one of claims 1 to 3, is such that each of the movable bodies (M) stops moving while floating off the conveying surface (31) at the respective conveying terminal ends (21) of the supply conveyor (20), receives the items (W) sequentially from the conveying terminal ends (21), stacks the items (W), and then resumes running.

[0019] According to the invention of claim 7, each movable body (M) stops moving while floating above the conveying surface (31) at the conveying terminal end (21) of each supply conveyor (20), sequentially receives the articles (W) from the conveying terminal end (21), stacks the articles (W), and then resumes traveling, thereby shortening the distance the articles (W) take from the conveying terminal end (21) to fall onto the movable body (M). Therefore, it becomes easier to place the articles (W) on the movable body (M) in the correct posture, and it is possible to prevent the articles (W) from shifting position when stacking.

[0020] Next, the invention of claim 8, which is dependent on claim 7, has a floating height (H) set above the conveying surface (31) when stacking the items (W), and the floating height (H) when placing the preceding item (W) is higher than the floating height (H) when placing the subsequent item (W).

[0021] According to the invention of claim 8, when stacking items (W) on the movable body (M), the height at which the movable body (M) floats above the conveying surface (31) is higher when placing a preceding item (W) than when placing a succeeding item (W), thereby further suppressing the misalignment of the items (W) when stacking them on the movable body (M). [Effects of the Invention]

[0022] By adopting the above-mentioned means of the present invention, it is possible to provide a new transport system for transporting articles using a floating linear transport device. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0023] [Figure 1] 1 is an overall perspective view of a conveying system according to an embodiment of the present invention, seen from the supply conveyor side. [Figure 2] FIG. 1 is a plan view of a transport system according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 3] FIG. 1 is a plan view of a transport system according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a movable body according to the present embodiment. [Figure 5]FIG. 2 is a front view showing the conveyance terminal end of the supply conveyor according to the embodiment. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line VI-VI in FIG. [Figure 7] 1A and 1B are diagrams illustrating the movement path of a movable body on a conveying surface; [Figure 8] 1A and 1B are diagrams illustrating the movement path of a movable body on a conveying surface; [Figure 9] 1A and 1B are diagrams illustrating the movement path of a movable body on a conveying surface; [Figure 10] 10A and 10B are diagrams illustrating modified examples of the arrangement pattern of the conveyance end portion of the supply conveyor. [Figure 11] 10A and 10B are diagrams illustrating modified examples of the arrangement pattern of the conveyance end portion of the supply conveyor. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0024] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of a transport system according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0025] As shown in FIG. 1, the conveying system according to this embodiment includes a plurality of supply conveyors 20 arranged in parallel in multiple rows, and a floating linear conveying device 30. In the conveying system, an article W conveyed by the supply conveyor 20 is received by a movable body M that floats above the conveying surface 31 of the floating linear conveying device 30 and travels along the conveying surface 31, and is conveyed toward a discharge position P. The article W according to this embodiment is a disc-shaped Western-style confectionery. The discharge position P is downstream of the conveying terminal end 21 of the supply conveyor 20 and spaced above the conveying surface 31 of the floating linear conveying device 30. In this embodiment, the discharge position P is the conveying start end 41 of the discharge conveyor 40, which will be described later.

[0026] An upstream conveyor 19 is disposed upstream of the supply conveyor 20. The upstream conveyor 19 is a wide belt conveyor and is provided as an upstream device in the conveying system. In this embodiment, articles W are placed in multiple rows (13 rows) on an endless belt that is driven to travel at a constant speed. The articles W in each row placed on the belt of the upstream conveyor 19 are placed at regular intervals in the conveying direction of the articles W, and are conveyed at a constant speed while aligned horizontally in a single row.

[0027] The supply conveyor 20 is a conveyor equipped with a pair of endless belts (second cord-like bodies 22) spaced apart in a width direction intersecting the conveying direction of the articles W. In the drawings, the conveying direction of the articles W is shown as the front-rear direction, and the width direction intersecting the conveying direction is shown as the left-right direction. The supply conveyor 20 sequentially places the articles W on the second cord-like bodies 22 and conveys them at a constant speed. The supply conveyors 20 are arranged in multiple rows in the left-right direction (width direction) corresponding to the number of rows of articles W conveyed by the upstream conveyor 19. In this embodiment, 13 supply conveyors 20 are provided. Each supply conveyor 20 receives the articles W discharged from the upstream conveyor 19, conveys the articles W in the same direction as the conveying direction of the upstream conveyor 19, and discharges the articles W from the conveying end 21.

[0028] As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 , the positions of the conveyance terminal ends 21 of the supply conveyors 20 in each row are set so that the movable bodies M can place an item W at their respective conveyance terminal ends 21 without interfering with each other. Specifically, in adjacent rows, the conveyance terminal end 21 of one row is positioned offset in the conveyance direction from the conveyance terminal end 21 of the adjacent row. For example, in this embodiment, the positions of the conveyance terminal ends 21 of the supply conveyors 20 in each row are set in a staggered pattern in a plan view so that a movable body M that stops at the conveyance terminal end 21 of one row to receive an item W stops at a position further rearward in the conveyance direction than the rear end of the movable body M that stops at the conveyance terminal end 21 of the adjacent row to receive an item W. That is, in two adjacent rows, a first supply conveyor 20a having a long distance to the conveyance terminal end 21 and a second supply conveyor 20b having a short distance to the conveyance terminal end 21 are arranged side by side. This prevents the front, rear, left and right surfaces (parts) of the movable body M from coming into contact with the movable body M in the adjacent row when each movable body M receives the article W from the conveying end 21 of each row at the same time. The distance by which the position of the conveying end 21 is shifted in the conveying direction corresponds to the distance by which one movable body M is shifted. The supply conveyor 20 is configured in 13 rows, with six first supply conveyors 20a and seven second supply conveyors 20b arranged alternately.

[0029] The conveying speed of each row of supply conveyors 20 is set so that the articles W received row by row from the upstream conveyor 19 are discharged at the same timing from the conveying terminal end 21 of each row. In this embodiment, the conveying speed of the first supply conveyor 20a, which has a longer distance to the conveying terminal end 21, is set to be faster than the conveying speed of the second supply conveyor 20b. As shown in Figure 5, each supply conveyor 20 is arranged with the second cord-like body 22 inclined forward in the conveying direction so that the height position of the conveying terminal end is lower than the height position of the conveying start end that receives the articles W from the upstream conveyor 19.

[0030] As shown in Fig. 1, the floating linear transport device 30 is a device that receives an article W from the transport terminal end 21 of each row of supply conveyor 20 and transports the article W toward a discharge position P. The floating linear transport device 30 includes a coil (not shown) that serves as a stator, a transport surface 31 that extends horizontally above the coils, a plurality of movable bodies M that can move along the transport surface 31, and a control unit (not shown) that controls the movement of each movable body M.

[0031] As shown in Figures 2 and 3, the conveying surface 31 is formed as a flat surface extending horizontally above the coils. For example, the conveying surface 31 is formed by laying plate-like members with coils inside in the front-rear direction, which is the conveying direction, and in the left-right direction, which intersects with the conveying direction. The conveying surface 31 includes a rear conveying surface 32 extending in the front-rear and left-right directions near the conveying end 21 of the supply conveyor 20, two outgoing surfaces 33 extending from the rear conveying surface 32 to the forward discharge position P, and a returning surface 34 along which the movable bodies M move from the discharge position P toward the rear conveying surface 32. The returning surface 34 serves as a return path for the movable bodies M. The left-right width of the rear conveying surface 32 is set so that at least seven movable bodies M can be lined up side by side and so that a path can be secured for the movable bodies M that have traveled along the returning surface 34. The width of the outgoing surface 33 is set so that two movable bodies M can be lined up side by side in the left-right direction. The return road surface 34 has a passage surface extending in the left-right direction in front of the conveying surface 31, and passage surfaces extending parallel to the outgoing road surface 33 on both the left and right sides, and connects the ends of the two outgoing road surfaces 33 to the rear conveying surface 32.

[0032] As shown in FIG. 4, each movable body M has a mover 36, which is a substantially square plate-like panel that functions as a magnet, and an article placement section 37 provided on the upper part of the mover 36. Each movable body M can travel freely while floating above the conveying surface 31 by controlling the magnetism acting between the mover 36 and the coil. In addition, the floating height H of the movable body M can be set appropriately, and the movable body M can travel while floating a predetermined distance above the conveying surface 31 (see FIG. 5). Furthermore, it is also possible to control the movable body M to rotate horizontally or tilt relative to the conveying surface 31.

[0033] The article placement section 37 is formed of a substantially rectangular parallelepiped member and has a recess 38 on its upper surface large enough to accommodate the article W. The recess 38 is cylindrically recessed to correspond to the shape of the article W, and its inner circumferential surface is formed to determine the position of the article W when receiving the article W discharged from the conveying terminal end 21 of the supply conveyor 20. In this embodiment, two articles W are stacked and accommodated in the recess 38. The article placement section 37 also has two grooves 39 formed at a predetermined depth. The two grooves 39 overlap the recess 38 in a plan view and are formed parallel to each other in the conveying direction. Each groove 39 is narrower than the article W and wider than the belt width of each of the second cord-like bodies 22 of the supply conveyor 20. The two grooves 39 are configured to allow the return portions of the belt of the second cord-like body 22 to enter when the movable body M is positioned near the conveying terminal end 21 of the supply conveyor 20. Furthermore, the two grooves 39 are configured so that when the movable body M is located near the conveyance start end 41 of the discharge conveyor 40, the upper part of a first cord-like body 42, which will be described later, can enter therein.

[0034] 5, near the conveyance terminal end 21 of the supply conveyor 20, the floating height H of the movable body M from the conveyance surface 31 and the height of the conveyance terminal end 21 of the supply conveyor 20 are set so that the article W is placed on the article placement section 37 with the second cord-like body 22 entering the groove 39. This shortens the distance that the article W discharged from each conveyance terminal end 21 falls to the bottom of the recess 38. Each movable body M receives the article W from the conveyance terminal end 21 while floating above the conveyance surface 31. The movable body M is set so that when the articles W are placed in two layers in the recess 38 of the article placement section 37, the floating height H when the first article W (the article W placed first) is placed on the bottom of the recess 38 is higher than the floating height H when the second (subsequent) article W is placed on top of the first article W. Furthermore, upstream of the conveying end 21 of each supply conveyor 20, the floating height H of the movable body M from the conveying surface 31 and the height of the conveying end 21 of the supply conveyor 20 are set so that the movable body M does not come into contact with each supply conveyor 20 even when the movable body M runs in a floating state below each supply conveyor 20.

[0035] 2 and 3, two discharge conveyors 40 are disposed downstream in the conveying direction of the floating linear conveying device 30. Each discharge conveyor 40 has a conveying start end 41 that is provided above the conveying surface 31 and spaced apart as a discharge position P. That is, two discharge positions P are set above the conveying surface 31 downstream of the conveying end 21 of the supply conveyor 20. As shown in FIG. 1, each discharge conveyor 40 has a first cord body 42 made up of a plurality of endless cord bodies spaced apart in the width direction, and articles W are placed on the first cord body 42 and conveyed at a constant speed.

[0036] 6, the discharge conveyor 40 is configured such that, at the conveyance starting end 41, the upper part of the first cord-like body 42 enters the groove portion 39 of the movable body M, and the article W placed in the recess 38 of the article placing portion 37 of the movable body M is transferred onto the first cord-like body 42. The discharge conveyor 40 then conveys the article W placed on the first cord-like body 42 downstream. The height of the conveyance starting end 41 of the discharge conveyor 40 is set taking into consideration the height at which the movable body M rises from the conveyance surface 31. The first cord-like body 42 is also arranged so as to slope upward from the conveyance starting end 41 downstream.

[0037] 2 and 3, the number of rows of the discharge conveyor 40 is different from the number of rows of the supply conveyor 20, and is set to two rows, which is fewer than the 13 rows of the supply conveyor 20. Therefore, each movable body M that has placed an article W at the conveying end 21 of each of the multiple rows of the supply conveyor 20 transports the article W to the common discharge conveyor 40.

[0038] The control unit controls the magnetism acting between the coil and the mover 36 based on the travel path, stopping position, levitation height H, etc. of the moveable body M, and controls the respective movements of the moveable body M.

[0039] With the above-described configuration, the conveying system allows a plurality of movable bodies M controlled by the control unit to place articles W discharged from each of the conveying terminal ends 21 of the supply conveyor 20, which is disposed above and spaced apart from the conveying surface 31 of the floating linear conveying device 30, on the article placement sections 37, and move along the conveying surface 31. The number of movable bodies M traveling on the conveying surface 31 is set appropriately. In this embodiment, a total of 54 movable bodies M are deployed. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 2 , the movable bodies M waiting on the rear conveying surface 32 include movable bodies M (26 bodies) that form two rows F below the supply conveyor 20, and movable bodies M (13 bodies) that form one row F that has received the articles W and moved toward the discharge position P. In addition, movable bodies M that break the row F and move sequentially toward the discharge position P and movable bodies M (15 bodies) that will return to the supply conveyor 20 after delivering the articles W at the discharge position P are also deployed.

[0040] As shown in FIG. 2, the movable bodies M wait in a queue F on the rear conveying surface 32. The position where the movable bodies M form the queue F is the most upstream side, i.e., the rear end side, of the conveying surface 31, below each row of the supply conveyor 20. The queue F of the movable bodies M corresponds to the arrangement of the conveying end portions 21 of the supply conveyor 20, which are offset in the conveying direction. The queue F of the movable bodies M forms multiple rows and columns spaced apart from each other in the front-to-back and left-to-right directions below each row on the upstream side of the supply conveyor 20. The queue F is composed of a first row located at the front side in the conveying direction and a second row located at the rear side. The first row contains six movable bodies M, which are lined up in the left-to-right direction corresponding to the row of the first supply conveyor 20a. The second row contains seven movable bodies M, which are lined up in the left-to-right direction corresponding to the row of the second supply conveyor 20b.

[0041] Here, we will explain the movements of the movable bodies M that make up one line F, receiving articles W from the conveying terminal end 21 of the supply conveyor 20, moving to the discharge position P to discharge the articles W, and then returning to the conveying starting end 41. The movable bodies M, which have been waiting in line F at the rear end of the conveying surface 31, travel toward their respective conveying terminal ends 21 while remaining in line F. Each movable body M travels below each line of the supply conveyor 20 in the conveying direction of the articles W, floats up at the conveying terminal end 21 of the supply conveyor 20, stops traveling, and sequentially receives the articles W discharged from the conveying terminal end 21 of the supply conveyor 20 and places them on the article placement section 37.

[0042] After the articles W are stacked on the article placement section 37 of each movable body M, the movable bodies M resume traveling in a line F. As shown in Figure 7(A), the line F of movable bodies M moves in the conveying direction on the rear conveying surface 32 and stops just before the outgoing road surface 33.

[0043] First, the movable bodies M in the first row move sequentially to the outgoing path surface 33. The movable bodies M are controlled so that they move in groups of three to the discharge positions P of the left and right discharge conveyors 40. Here, the movable bodies M in the first row are numbered the first to sixth movable bodies M, counting from the left. As shown in FIG. 7(B), the first movable body M1 moves to the left outgoing path surface 33, and the fourth movable body M4 moves to the right outgoing path surface 33. Next, the second movable body M2 moves to the left outgoing path surface 33. The second movable body M2 moves to a position aligned left and right with the first movable body M1 at the starting end of the outgoing path surface 33. Furthermore, the fifth movable body M5 moves to the right outgoing path surface 33. The fifth movable body M5 moves to a position aligned left and right with the fourth movable body M4 at the starting end of the outgoing path surface 33.

[0044] Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 8(A), the first movable body M1 and the fourth movable body M4 each move forward along the outgoing road surface 33. Next, the third movable body M3 moves to the left-hand side of the outgoing road surface 33. The third movable body M3 moves to a position lined up on the left and right with the second movable body M2 at the starting end of the outgoing road surface 33. In addition, the sixth movable body M6 moves to the right-hand side of the outgoing road surface 33. The sixth movable body M6 moves to a position lined up on the left and right with the fifth movable body M5 at the starting end of the outgoing road surface 33. Thereafter, the second movable body M2 and the fifth movable body M5 each move forward along the outgoing road surface 33. The movable bodies M moving on the outgoing road surface 33 each move forward in a single file.

[0045] Next, the movable bodies M in the second row move sequentially to the outgoing road surface 33. Three movable bodies M move to the discharge position P of the left discharge conveyor 40, and four move to the discharge position P of the right discharge conveyor 40. Here, the movable bodies M in the second row are numbered seventh to thirteenth movable bodies M, counting from the left. As shown in FIG. 8(B), the seventh movable body M7 moves to the left outgoing road surface 33 and lines up with the third movable body M3 on the left and right at the starting end of the outgoing road surface 33. The tenth movable body M10 moves to the right outgoing road surface 33 and lines up with the sixth movable body M6 on the left and right at the starting end of the outgoing road surface 33. Then, the third movable body M3 and the sixth movable body M6 each move forward along the outgoing road surface 33.

[0046] Next, as shown in FIG. 9(A), the eighth movable body M8 moves to the left-hand outgoing road surface 33 and lines up with the seventh movable body M7 on the left and right at the starting end of the outgoing road surface 33. The eleventh movable body M11 moves to the right-hand outgoing road surface 33 and lines up with the tenth movable body M10 on the left and right at the starting end of the outgoing road surface 33. The seventh movable body M7 and the tenth movable body M10 then each move forward along the outgoing road surface 33. Similarly, the ninth movable body M9 moves to the left-hand outgoing road surface 33, and the twelfth movable body M12 moves to the right. The movable bodies M on the outgoing road surface 33 each move sequentially toward the conveyance starting end 41 of the discharge conveyor 40, which is the discharge position P. As shown in FIG. 9(B), the thirteenth movable body M13, the last remaining member of the procession F, moves to the right-hand outgoing road surface 33.

[0047] When the seven movable bodies M in the second row of the first formation F are split into three bodies moving to the discharge position P of the left discharge conveyor 40 and four bodies moving to the discharge position P of the right discharge conveyor 40, the seven movable bodies M in the second row of the next formation F are controlled to be split into four bodies moving to the discharge position P of the left discharge conveyor 40 and three bodies moving to the discharge position P of the right discharge conveyor 40. In other words, the system is configured to perform control that prevents the movable bodies M from continuing to gather unevenly on either the left or right side on the conveying surface 31.

[0048] When each movable body M travels along the forward path surface 33 and moves to the discharge position P, the article W placed in the recess 38 of the article placement section 37 of the movable body M is transferred onto the first cord-like body 42 of the discharge conveyor 40.

[0049] Each movable body M that has completed transferring the article W to the left-side discharge conveyor 40 travels along the return surface 34 on the left side of the conveying surface 31 and moves counterclockwise toward the supply conveyor 20. Then, it moves from the left side of the supply conveyor 20 downward on the upstream side of the supply conveyor 20 to form a new queue F. Each movable body M that has completed transferring the article W to the right-side discharge conveyor 40 travels along the return surface 34 on the right side of the conveying surface 31 and moves clockwise toward the supply conveyor 20. Then, it moves from the right side of the supply conveyor 20 downward on the upstream side of the supply conveyor 20 to form a new queue F.

[0050] As shown in FIG. 3 , the movable bodies M break up the formation F and move sequentially toward the discharge position P, then travel along the return surface 34, which serves as the return path, and wait to form a new formation F upstream of the supply conveyor 20. At this time, 15 movable bodies M, two more than the number of movable bodies M forming one formation F, are traveling or waiting on the return path of the movable bodies M, which extends from the return surface 34 to the upstream side of the supply conveyor 20. In other words, two more spare movable bodies M are provided on the return path. This is because the number of rows of the discharge conveyor 40 is fewer than the number of rows of the supply conveyor 20, and it takes time for the movable bodies M to return to the lower side of the supply conveyor 20 after transferring the articles W due to the movable bodies M being stuck when transferring the articles W to the discharge conveyor 40 or due to the long distance traveled by the movable bodies M before returning. This is because the number of movable bodies M is increased to prevent a shortage of movable bodies M forming the formation F.

[0051] <Effects of the embodiment> The transport system according to the above embodiment has the following advantages. (1) By shifting the position of one conveyance end 21 of a supply conveyor 20 in the conveyance direction relative to the position of the conveyance end 21 of the adjacent supply conveyor 20 in the conveyance direction so that the movable bodies M can receive articles W from their respective conveyance end 21 without interfering with each other, the spacing between each row aligned in the width direction intersecting the conveyance direction can be narrowed. This makes it possible to reduce the overall width size of the supply conveyor 20. Therefore, a new conveyance system can be provided that conveys articles W using a floating linear conveyance device 30. (2) When the movable body M moves to the discharge position P and transfers the item W placed on the item placement section 37 to the conveying start end 41 of the discharge conveyor 40, which serves as the discharge position P, the conveying start end 41 of the discharge conveyor 40 is inserted into the groove 39 formed in the item placement section 37 of the movable body M and then transferred onto the first cord-like body 42, thereby ensuring smooth delivery of the item W. (3) The number of rows of the discharge conveyor 40 is different from the number of rows of the supply conveyor 20, and the movable bodies M corresponding to each row on which articles W are placed can transport the articles W from the conveying end portions 21 of the multiple rows of the supply conveyor 20 to the common discharge conveyor 40. Therefore, even if the discharge conveyor 40 is set to have various numbers of rows, it is possible to provide various conveying lines that can transfer articles W from the supply conveyor 20 to the discharge conveyor 40 simply by controlling and setting the discharge positions P to which each of the movable bodies M on which articles W are placed is directed. (4) The movable body M travels under each row in the conveying direction of each row toward the conveying terminal end 21 of each row on the supply conveyor 20, and places the article W discharged from the conveying terminal end 21 of the supply conveyor 20 on it, thereby avoiding contact with the movable body M in the adjacent row. Furthermore, when placing the article W on the movable body M, it is possible to prevent the article W from shifting in position in the width direction, which intersects with the conveying direction, when the article W is transferred onto the movable body M. (5) In accordance with the arrangement (pattern) of the conveyance terminal ends 21 of each row on the supply conveyor 20, a plurality of rows and columns of conveyance units F are arranged and waited at intervals in the conveyance direction and width direction below each row on the upstream side of the supply conveyor 20, and each row of conveyance units F travels toward the conveyance terminal ends 21 and receives items W from each conveyance terminal end 21. This makes it possible to synchronize the timing at which the movable bodies M arrive below the conveyance terminal ends 21 of each row. This makes it possible to shorten the time it takes for all movable bodies M to finish placing items W at each conveyance terminal end 21. (6) By arranging the movable bodies M in a staggered arrangement in the array F, the arrangement (pattern) of the conveying end 21 of each row on the supply conveyor 20 is also set in a staggered arrangement, and two types of supply conveyors 20 with long and short distances to the conveying end 21 of each row are arranged side by side. This simplifies conveyor control (for example, speed control of each row of the supply conveyor 20) for synchronizing the arrival timing of the articles W at the conveying end 21 of each row. (7) Each movable body M stops moving while floating above the conveying surface 31 at the conveying terminal end 21 of each supply conveyor 20, sequentially receives the items W from the conveying terminal end 21, stacks the items W, and then resumes running, thereby shortening the distance the items W take to fall from the conveying terminal end 21 onto the movable body M. This makes it easier to place the items W on the movable body M in the correct posture, and can prevent the items W from shifting position when stacked. (8) When stacking items W on the movable body M, the height at which the movable body M is raised above the conveying surface 31 is higher when placing a preceding item W than when placing a succeeding item W, thereby further reducing the positional shift of the items W when stacking them on the movable body M. (9) By increasing the number of movable bodies M on the return path on the conveying surface 31 to be greater than the number of movable bodies M constituting the formation F, it becomes possible to form a new formation F in time for the discharge timing of the items W from the supply conveyor 20 due to the conveying speed.

[0052] <Example of change> The present invention is not limited to the configurations described in the above-described embodiments, and various modifications, additions, and deletions are possible within the scope that does not change the gist of the present invention. (1) The pattern of the array F of the movable bodies M, i.e., the arrangement pattern of the conveying end portions 21 on the supply conveyor 20, is not limited to a staggered arrangement and may be configured in various combination patterns. For example, as shown in Figure 10, the positions of the conveying end portions 21 may be shifted in the conveying direction in units of three or more rows. Also, multiple patterns may be mixed. (2) In the above embodiment, an example was shown in which the conveyance start end 41 of the discharge conveyor 40, which places the item W on the endless first cord-like body 42 as the discharge position P, was provided. However, this is not limited to this, and other embodiments can be applied. For example, an embodiment may be such that the item W placed on the movable body M that has arrived at the position on the conveyance surface 31 defined as the discharge position P is picked up by a suction means or the like disposed on a robot hand and transferred to another location. Note that, when the item W is picked up by a robot or the like at the discharge position P, it is not necessarily necessary to form a groove in the item placement section 37 of the movable body M. (3) In the above embodiment, an example was shown in which the conveying speed of each row of the supply conveyor 20 is set according to the conveying distance to the conveying terminal 21 of each supply conveyor 20 in order to align the timing at which the articles W are handed over to the movable body M from the conveying terminal 21 of each row. However, this is not limited to this, and other configurations can be applied. For example, the conveying speed of each row may be set to the same speed, and the timing at which the articles W arrive at each supply conveyor 20 may be staggered in a conveying device upstream of each supply conveyor 20, taking into account the difference in the conveying distance to the conveying terminal 21 of each supply conveyor 20. Note that the timing at which the articles W are handed over to the movable body M does not have to be simultaneous, and may be staggered. For example, in cases where the amount of articles being conveyed from an upstream device upstream of the supply conveyor 20 allows each movable body M to wait for a long time at the conveying terminal 21, the timing at which the articles W are handed over to each movable body M does not have to be simultaneous. (4) In the above embodiment, the supply conveyor 20 or the discharge conveyor 40 is shown as an example in which the items W are placed and transported in rows by the second cord-like body 22 or the first cord-like body 42, which consists of two endless belts (endless cord-like bodies) spaced apart in the width direction, but this is not limited to this, and the transport surface may be formed by a single endless belt or three or more endless belts for each row. (5) In the above embodiment, an example is shown in which the number of rows of the discharge conveyor 40 is smaller than the number of rows of the supply conveyor 20, but the number of rows of the discharge conveyor 40 may be greater than the number of rows of the supply conveyor 20, or the number of rows may be the same. (6) In the above embodiment, an example is shown in which the movable body M, after having completed the delivery of the item W to the discharge position P, splits into two sections on both sides of the supply conveyor 20 and moves to the underside of the supply conveyor 20, but this is not limited to this, and the movable body M may also move from only one side of the supply conveyor 20. (7) When transferring an item W from the movable body M to the discharge conveyor 40 at the discharge position P, or when transferring an item W to the movable body M from the conveying end 21 of the supply conveyor 20, the movable body M may be controlled to float at an angle relative to the conveying surface 31 to ensure smooth transfer of the item W. (8) In the above embodiment, an example is shown in which the second cord-like body 22 in the supply conveyor 20 is tilted to make the conveying end 21 the lowest, but the angle of the second cord-like body 22 may also be set so that it is parallel to the conveying surface 31 of the floating linear conveying device 30. (9) In the above embodiment, the movable bodies M are aligned with their left and right side surfaces parallel to the conveyance direction. However, this is not limiting and the movable bodies M may be aligned and travel while rotating horizontally to change their orientation. For example, as shown in FIG. 11, the side surfaces of the movable bodies M may be oriented in a direction rotated 45 degrees relative to the conveyance direction. In this case, the movable bodies M can be positioned so that they do not come into contact with each other by shifting the position of the conveyance end portion 21 by at least half the length from the front end to the rear end of the movable bodies M in the conveyance direction. (10) In the above embodiment, an example was shown in which plate-shaped members with coils inside are arranged at intervals on the left and right as the outbound path surface 33 and the inbound path surface 34 that form the movement path of the movable body M, but it is also possible to arrange plate-shaped members over the entire surface to form the conveying surface 31, and to configure it so that the movable body M can move over the entire surface. (11) The shape of the article placement portion constituting the movable body M can be changed depending on the size, shape, etc. of the article W to be transported. For example, the article placement portion may be formed to have a circular shape in a plan view. [Explanation of symbols]

[0053] F: Formation H: Levitation height M: Movable object P: Discharge position W: Item 19: Upstream conveyor 20: Supply conveyor 21: Transfer end portion 22: Second cord-like body 30: Floating linear transport device 31: Transport surface 32: Rear transport surface 33: Outward surface 34: Return surface 36: Movable element 37: Article placement section 38: Recessed section 39: Groove section 40: Discharge conveyor 41: Transfer starting end 42: First cord-like body

Claims

1. a plurality of supply conveyors arranged side by side in a row in a width direction intersecting with a conveying direction of the articles; a floating linear transport device having a conveying surface that extends horizontally above the coils that are laid out, a plurality of movable bodies that carry the articles discharged from each of the conveying terminal ends of the supply conveyor that is disposed above and spaced apart from the conveying surface and that have movable elements that can float above the conveying surface and move along the conveying surface, and a control unit that controls the magnetism acting between the coils and the movable elements to control the movement of each of the movable bodies; a discharge position that is provided at a position downstream of the conveyance terminal end and spaced above the conveyance surface, and that discharges the article placed on the movable body, A conveying system in which the supply conveyor is arranged such that the position of one of the conveying terminal ends is shifted in the conveying direction relative to the position of the adjacent conveying terminal end so that each of the movable bodies can place the item from the respective conveying terminal end without interfering with each other.

2. a discharge conveyor for placing and transporting the articles by a first cord-like body consisting of one endless cord-like body or a plurality of endless cord-like bodies spaced apart in the width direction of the articles; The discharge conveyor is a conveyance start end portion is provided at the discharge position at a distance above the conveyance surface, and the first cord-like body is inclined upward from the conveyance start end portion toward a downstream side, Each of the movable bodies is an article placement section on which the article can be placed, located above the movable element; and a groove section formed in the article placement section, the groove section having a width narrower than the article and a predetermined depth; the article to be discharged from the conveyance end of the supply conveyor is placed on the article placement section, and then the supply conveyor moves toward the discharge position; The conveying system described in claim 1, wherein, at the discharge position, the conveying starting end portion consisting of the first rope-like body is inserted into the groove portion, and the item placed on the item placement section is transferred onto the first rope-like body.

3. The number of rows of the discharge conveyor is different from the number of rows of the supply conveyor; 3. The conveying system according to claim 2, wherein each of the movable bodies that has placed the article from the conveying terminal end of each of the plurality of rows of the supply conveyor can convey the article to the common discharge conveyor.

4. 4. A conveying system according to claim 1, wherein the movable body runs under each row of the supply conveyor in the conveying direction of each row toward the conveying terminal end of each row of the supply conveyor, and places the item discharged from the conveying terminal end on it.

5. 5. The conveying system of claim 4, wherein each of the movable bodies waits in a formation of multiple rows and columns spaced apart from each other in the conveying direction and the width direction below each column on the upstream side of the supply conveyor, corresponding to the arrangement of the conveying terminal ends of the supply conveyors that are offset in the conveying direction, and travels in the formation toward the conveying terminal ends to receive the items from the conveying terminal ends of each of the supply conveyors.

6. The transport system according to claim 5 , wherein the array of the movable bodies is a staggered array of the movable bodies.

7. 4. The conveying system according to claim 1, wherein each of the movable bodies stops moving while floating above the conveying surface at the conveying end of each of the supply conveyors, receives the items sequentially from the conveying end, stacks the items, and then resumes moving.

8. 8. The conveying system according to claim 7, wherein the movable body has a floating height above the conveying surface when stacking the items, and the floating height when placing the preceding item is higher than the floating height when placing the subsequent item.

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