Automatic piling system at a coil center

Abstract

This invention provides an automated piling device that automates the piling and subsequent transport of steel plates at a coil center. [Solution] The piling device 10 is provided with a transport unit 11 for sequentially transporting multiple steel plates 1, and a dropping mechanism unit 12 for dropping the steel plates one after another from the transport unit 11. The automated guided vehicle 20 has a flat rectangular parallelepiped body 20a, and a pallet 21 can be mounted on its flat upper surface. Below the dropping mechanism unit 12 of the piling device 10, there is a lifting device 30 that holds the automated guided vehicle 20 and sets it to a predetermined height. The automated guided vehicle 20 is configured to load the steel plates 1 that fall via the dropping mechanism unit 12 onto the pallet 21 while it is raised by the lifting device 30.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to an automatic piling system in a coil center.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, in a coil center, a large number of coils formed by winding steel plates are stocked in a coil storage yard. The coils in the coil storage yard are picked up by a crane and transported to an uncoiler. Then, the steel plate is fed out from the coil by the uncoiler. The fed-out steel plate is leveled by a leveler to straighten the winding distortion and then cut into a predetermined size.

[0003] And the steel plate processed by the leveler is piled (loaded) on a table by a piling device and transported to the next process (for example, a slitting machine, a packing / shipping place, etc.) by a crane or a hand-pushed cart.

[0004] Patent Document 1 describes an automatic piling device including a table for transporting a steel plate (metal thin plate) and a piler section into which the steel plate is fed. The steel plate fed into the piler section hits a stopper section by its inertia and falls onto a table to be piled one after another.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0005]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0006] As described above, the automatic piling device described in Patent Document 1 transports steel plates on a table and piles them onto a platform by inertia. However, it does not describe how the process from piling the steel plates to subsequent transport is carried out.

[0007] Therefore, the purpose of this invention is to provide an automated piling system that automates the process from piling steel plates to subsequent transportation. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] In view of the above-mentioned problems, the automatic piling system in the coil center of the present invention is The piling device comprises a conveying section for sequentially transporting multiple steel plates and a dropping mechanism for successively dropping the steel plates from the conveying section; an automated guided vehicle (AGV) capable of carrying pallets; and a lifting device installed below the dropping mechanism, on which the AGV is placed and set to a predetermined height, wherein the AGV, when raised by the lifting device, passes through the dropping mechanism. It is characterized by being configured to load falling steel plates onto a pallet. [Effects of the Invention]

[0009] According to this invention, since an automated guided vehicle is equipped with a pallet and multiple steel plates falling from the piling device are loaded onto the pallet, the process from piling the steel plates to subsequent transportation can be automated. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0010] [Figure 1] This diagram illustrates the configuration of an automatic piling system in an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] Another diagram illustrating the configuration of the automatic piling system in an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 3] This is a schematic plan view of the conveying and dropping mechanisms of an automatic piling system. [Figure 4]This diagram illustrates the other conveying and dropping mechanisms of the automatic piling system. [Figure 5] This diagram illustrates the configuration of the upper pallet mounted on the pallet. [Figure 6] This diagram illustrates the configuration and operation of an automated pallet warehouse (specifically, the operation when transferring pallets to an automated guided vehicle). [Figure 7] This diagram illustrates the configuration and operation of an automated pallet warehouse (specifically, the operation when retrieving pallets loaded with steel plates from an automated guided vehicle). [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0011] The configuration of the automatic piling system 100 in a coil center according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0012] At the coil center, steel sheets are uncoiled from the coil by an uncoiler, flattened and free of curl by a leveler equipped with a roll forming machine, and then cut to predetermined dimensions one after another by a cutting machine. The automatic piling system 100 is a system that sequentially transports multiple steel sheets 1 processed in this way and automatically piles (loads) them onto an automated guided vehicle 20.

[0013] <Configuration of piling device, automated guided vehicle, and elevator> First, the configuration of the piling device 10 of the automatic piling system 100 will be explained based on Figures 1 to 4. As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the piling device 10 includes a conveying unit 11 that sequentially conveys multiple steel plates 1, and a dropping mechanism 12 that drops the steel plates 1 one after another from the conveying unit 11. The conveying unit 11 and the dropping mechanism 12 are attached to a frame 14 supported by multiple support columns 13.

[0014] The conveying section 11 is equipped with a plurality of conveying rollers 15 arranged in parallel on the frame 14, and several drive motors 16, 16 that drive these conveying rollers 15. The drive shaft of one drive motor 16 is connected to the rotating shaft of one conveying roller 15 via a gear.

[0015] And several conveying rollers 15 are connected to each other via a roller chain, so that these conveying rollers 15 rotate in conjunction with each other. The conveying unit 11 can also be configured in a belt conveyor system, but by adopting the conveying roller system, the heavy steel plate 1 can be stably conveyed.

[0016] The dropping mechanism unit 12 can be configured to include, as an example, an opening 12A adjacent to the conveying unit 11. This opening 12A is formed in a region surrounded by the frame 14 and the end of the conveying unit ①. Detection sensors 17 for detecting the steel plate 1 and a plurality of rod-shaped stoppers 18 can be provided on the frame 14 on both sides of the opening 12A.

[0017] [[ID=•]]These stoppers 18 are arranged side by side along the conveying direction of the conveying unit 11 and are configured to reciprocate in a direction perpendicular to the conveying direction according to the detection signal of the detection sensor 17. That is, as shown in Fig. 3(a), the steel plate 1 that enters the opening 12A by inertia from the conveying unit 11 is once supported by the plurality of stoppers 18 protruding into the opening 12A.

[0018] Then, as shown in Fig. 3(b), when the plurality of stoppers 18 simultaneously retreat according to the detection signal of the detection sensor 17, the steel plate 1 drops. In this way, the dropping mechanism unit 12 can drop the steel plate 1 from the conveying unit 12 in a horizontal state by providing the detection sensor 17 and the stopper 18.

[0019] The above-mentioned dropping mechanism unit 12 is configured using the opening 12A, but is not limited to this. As long as it can drop the steel plate 1 from the conveying unit, other configurations of the conveying unit and the dropping mechanism unit can also be adopted. For example, the magnetic flat conveyor 120 shown in Fig. 4 can also be adopted.

[0020] It should be noted that there is a small error in the original text where "搬送部12" should be "搬送部11" in the sentence "落下機構部12は、検出センサー17、ストッパー18を設けることにより、鋼板1を水平な状態で搬送部12から落下させることができる." This has been corrected in the translation.As shown in the figure, this magnetic flat conveyor 120 is composed of a plurality of conveying rollers 121a to 121e, a conveying belt 122 wound around these conveying rollers 121a to 121e, and a current generator 123.

[0021] Each of the conveyor rollers 121a to 121e has a wire wound around it, and when current is passed through each wire by the current generator 123, it becomes magnetized. In other words, the conveyor rollers 121a to 121e rotate with the power of the drive motor and also function as a type of electromagnet.

[0022] In this case, electromagnets may be provided adjacent to the transport rollers 121a to 121e, respectively, and magnetized by the current from the current generator 123, thereby magnetizing the transport rollers 121a to 121e via these electromagnets.

[0023] As a result, the steel plate 1 is transported via the conveyor belt 122, held in place by the magnetic force of the conveyor rollers 121a to 121e by the conveyor rollers 121a to 121e. Then, by stopping the power supply to a predetermined conveyor roller (for example, conveyor roller 121c) or all of the conveyor rollers, the conveyor roller 121c or all of the conveyor rollers lose their magnetic force, and the steel plate 1 falls from the conveyor rollers 121a to 121e at that point in time. The other configurations are the same as those of the piling device 10 described above.

[0024] Next, as shown in Figures 1 and 2, the automated guided vehicle (AGV) 20 has a flat rectangular parallelepiped body 20a, and a flat rectangular parallelepiped pallet 21 can be mounted on its flat upper surface.

[0025] Although the steel plate 1 can be directly loaded onto the pallet 21, in this example, a two-tiered pallet configuration is used, in which an upper pallet 21a, sized to match the dimensions of the steel plate 1, is placed on the pallet 21, and the steel plate 1 is loaded onto this upper pallet 21a. The upper pallet 21a also has a flattened rectangular parallelepiped shape.

[0026] Furthermore, multiple drive wheels 22 are provided on the underside of the corners of the vehicle body 20a. If these drive wheels 22 are configured as drive wheels with a left-right two-wheel speed difference system, the vehicle body 2 can be moved forward and backward, left and right, and rotated in place. It is preferable to provide the drive wheels 22 on the front, rear, left and right sides of the vehicle body 20a. This is because the loaded steel plate 1 is heavy, and therefore it is necessary to obtain sufficient torque.

[0027] The elevator 30 is installed below the drop mechanism section 12 (opening 12A) of the piling device 10, and loads the automated guided vehicle 20 onto it to set it to a predetermined height. This elevator 30 can be configured as, for example, a scissor lift.

[0028] In this example, a base 31 is installed at a position lower than the floor surface of the coil center, and a lifting plate 33 is installed on this base 31 via a pantograph arm (X-shaped arm) 32. The pantograph arm 32 opens and closes by the thrust of a cylinder, raising and lowering the lifting plate 33. On the lifting plate 33, a pair of bases 34 are installed that extend in the direction of movement corresponding to the position of the drive wheels 22 of the automated guided vehicle 20.

[0029] Next, the configuration and operation of the automatic piling system 100 will be explained in more detail with reference to Figures 1 and 2. First, as shown in Figure 1(a), the upper surface of the base 34 is at the same height as the floor when the lifting plate 33 is lowered to its bottom dead center. In this state, the automated guided vehicle 20 travels along the floor of the coil center and gets onto the base 34.

[0030] Next, as shown in Figure 1(b), the automated guided vehicle 20 is raised by the elevator 30. Then, as shown in Figure 1(c), with the automated guided vehicle 20 raised by the elevator 30, the transport unit 11 is activated to transport the steel plates 1, thereby loading the steel plates 1 that fall from the transport unit 11 via the drop mechanism 12 (opening 12A) of the piling device 10 onto the upper pallet 21a on the pallet 21.

[0031] In this case, the elevator 30 may be configured to gradually lower the automated guided vehicle 20 according to the height of the steel plates 1 loaded on the upper pallet 21a, so that the distance the steel plates 1 fall is approximately constant. This makes it possible to load the steel plates 1 stably.

[0032] At that time, the height of the stacked steel plates 1 can be calculated by counting the number of steel plates 1 that have fallen using the detection signal from the detection sensor 16 described above. Based on this, the descent distance of the elevator 30 can be controlled.

[0033] Next, as shown in Figure 2(a), the automated guided vehicle 20 loaded with steel plates 1 is lowered to the bottom dead center by the elevator 30. Then, as shown in Figure 2(b), the automated guided vehicle 20 transports the piled steel plates 1 to the next process (for example, a shearing machine, a packaging and shipping area, etc.).

[0034] As described above, an upper pallet (base) 21a can be placed on the pallet 21, but as shown in Figure 5, wrapping paper 40 may be laid on the upper pallet 21a, and the steel plates 1 that fall from the conveying section 11 via the dropping mechanism 12 (opening 12A) of the piling device 10 may be loaded onto this wrapping paper 40. This makes it easy to wrap and pack the loaded steel plates 1 using this wrapping paper 40 when shipping. The wrapping paper 40 also serves to prevent rust on the steel plates 1.

[0035] Furthermore, a control device 41 that controls the aforementioned operations of the piling device 10 and elevator 30 is installed adjacent to the piling device 10. On the other hand, the operation of the automated guided vehicle 20 is controlled based on command information from a control command system installed in the coil center.

[0036] <Configuration of an automated pallet warehouse> As shown in Figures 6 and 7, the automated pallet warehouse 50 is a warehouse for storing pallets 21 and is located within the coil center for transferring pallets 21 to the automated guided vehicles 20 and for retrieving and storing pallets 21 from the automated guided vehicles 20.

[0037] The automated pallet warehouse 50 consists of two pallet lifters 51, 51 arranged opposite each other. The pallet lifter 51 has a structure similar to that of a forklift and is equipped with forks 52 capable of supporting pallets 21 and a mast 53 for raising and lowering these forks 52.

[0038] The lower end of the fork 52 is provided with an L-shaped claw for holding the pallet 21. The mast 53 is equipped with guide rails for raising and lowering the fork 52, as well as drive sources such as cylinders and electric motors.

[0039] When transferring pallets 21 stored in the automated pallet warehouse 50 to the automated guided vehicle 20, as shown in Figure 6(a), each of the four corners of the pallet 21 is supported by four forks 52. In this state, the automated guided vehicle 20 is moved directly beneath the pallet 21.

[0040] Next, as shown in Figure 6(b), the pallet 21 is lowered by the pallet lifter 52 and transferred to the automated guided vehicle 20. In this case, the pallet 21 is larger than the automated guided vehicle 20 in order to avoid interference between the pair of forks 51, 51 and the automated guided vehicle 20. After that, as shown in Figure 6(c), the automated guided vehicle 20 with the pallet 21 on it moves to the piling device 10 described above.

[0041] To retrieve the pallet 21 loaded on the automated guided vehicle 20 into the automated pallet warehouse 50, the reverse of the above procedure is performed. The same procedure applies when retrieving the pallet 21 loaded with steel plates 1 from the automated guided vehicle 20. As shown in Figure 7(a), the automated guided vehicle 20 is moved to the automated pallet warehouse 50, and then, as shown in Figure 7(b), the pallet 21 is raised by the pallet lifter 52. Finally, as shown in Figure 7(c), the automated guided vehicle 20 moves outside the automated pallet warehouse 50.

[0042] In this way, the automated pallet warehouse 50 can temporarily store the pallets 21 and the steel plates 1 stacked on the upper pallets 21a, preparing them for transport to the next process or for shipment. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0043] 1 steel plate 10. Piping device 11 Conveying section 12 Falling mechanism section 12A opening 13 Posts 14 frames 15 Conveyor rollers 16 Drive motor 17 Detection Sensors 18 Stopper 20 Automated Guided Vehicles 20a Vehicle body 21 Palettes 21a Upper pallet 22 drive wheels 30 Elevators 31 base 32 Pantograph Arms 33 Lifting platform 34 Running platform 40 wrapping paper 41 Control device 50-pallet automated warehouse 51 Pallet lifting machine 52 Forks 53 Mast 120 Magnetic Flat Conveyor 121a~121e Conveyor rollers 122 Conveyor belt 123 Current Generator

Claims

1. A piling device having a conveying section for sequentially conveying multiple steel plates, and a dropping mechanism for successively dropping the steel plates from the conveying section, An automated guided vehicle capable of carrying pallets, The system includes a lifting device installed below the aforementioned drop mechanism, on which the automated guided vehicle is placed and set to a predetermined height, The aforementioned automated guided vehicle, while raised by the elevator, via the drop mechanism An automatic piling system in a coil center, characterized by being configured to load falling steel plates onto the pallet.

2. The pallet automated warehouse includes a pallet lifting device that raises and lowers forks capable of supporting the pallets, The automatic piling system in a coil center according to claim 1, characterized in that the pallet lifter is configured to lower a pallet supported by forks and transfer it to an automated guided vehicle, and to support a pallet loaded with steel plates with forks and raise it from the automated guided vehicle.

3. The automatic piling system in a coil center according to claim 1, comprising an upper pallet that can be mounted on the aforementioned pallet, and wrapping paper covering the upper pallet, and configured to load steel plates that fall via the dropping mechanism onto the wrapping paper.

4. The automatic piling system in a coil center according to claim 1, characterized in that the elevator is configured to lower the automated guided vehicle according to the height of the steel plates loaded on the pallet so that the distance over which the steel plates fall via the dropping mechanism is substantially constant.

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