Unloading equipment

Abstract

For example, in a device for unloading a large amount of cargo from a container, a device that uses an articulated robot arm to hold and unload the cargo with a suction pad is provided. In the unloading device, there is a demand for a further reduction in the unloading operation time. [Solution] A receiving conveyor 50 with a horizontal transport direction is provided below an arm device 20 having a holding section 30. A lifting conveyor 40 with a transport direction as an unloading direction is provided downstream of the receiving conveyor 50. The luggage 5 held by the holding section 30 is transferred onto the receiving conveyor 50 by the operation of the arm device 20. The luggage 5 is transported horizontally and transferred to the lifting conveyor 40. The lifting conveyor 40 unloads the luggage 5 backwards. This eliminates the need for the arm device 20 to rotate above the lifting conveyor 40, thereby shortening the time required for unloading work.

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an apparatus for unloading a large number of cargoes stacked in multiple layers, for example, in the trunk of a truck or in a container. [Background technology]

[0002] This type of unloading device is provided as an unloading device that automatically unloads a large number of luggage without human intervention. Patent Document 1 discloses an unloading device in which an articulated robot is mounted on a cart that enters a luggage compartment, and the articulated robot is equipped with a luggage gripping device. With this unloading device, the gripped luggage is transferred to an unloading conveyor connected to the rear by the operation of the articulated robot, and unloaded. Patent Document 2 discloses an unloading device in which a gripper mechanism having a suction pad is provided at the tip of the unloading conveyor. With this unloading device, the gripper mechanism is moved backward relative to the transport conveyor while adsorbing the luggage, so that the luggage is transferred onto the transport conveyor. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2017-206318 A [Patent Document 2] Patent No. 7186697 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] An object of the present disclosure is to provide an unloading device that further shortens the work time required for unloading. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] According to one aspect of the present disclosure, the unloading device includes a cart, a multi-joint arm device mounted on the cart, and a holding section provided at the tip of the arm device to hold luggage. The unloading device includes a lifting conveyor extending in the discharge direction to the side of the arm device and lifted and lowered by the lifting device. The unloading device includes a receiving conveyor provided upstream of the lifting conveyor and conveying the luggage received from the holding section in a lateral direction intersecting the discharge direction.

[0006] Therefore, for example, a baggage held by the holder at the loading position in the luggage compartment is transferred onto the receiving conveyor by the operation of the arm device. The baggage transferred onto the receiving conveyor is transported laterally to the upstream side of the lateral lifting conveyor. The baggage is then transported by the lifting conveyor in the unloading direction and unloaded from the luggage compartment. As a result, the range of operation of the arm device in one operation for unloading is sufficient to be the range for transferring the baggage from the loading position onto the receiving conveyor. Therefore, the pivoting operation for transferring the baggage onto the lateral lifting conveyor is omitted, thereby shortening the operation time of the arm device. As a result, the work time for unloading is shortened. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0007] [Figure 1] 1 is an overall perspective view of the unloading device, which shows the unloading device in a standby state on a platform of a truck yard. [Diagram 2] 1 is an overall perspective view of the unloading device, which shows a state in which baggage is held in the upper part of the opening side of the luggage compartment. [Diagram 3] 1 is an overall perspective view of the unloading device, which shows a state in which the unloading device holds luggage in the middle section on the opening side of the luggage compartment. [Figure 4] 1 is an overall perspective view of the unloading device, which shows a state in which the unloading device holds luggage at the bottom level on the opening side of the luggage compartment. [Diagram 5] 1 is an overall perspective view of the unloading device, which shows a state in which the lowermost baggage at the rear of the luggage compartment is held. [Figure 6] FIG. [Figure 7]1 is a perspective view of a receiving conveyor, as viewed from diagonally above to the right. [Figure 8] 8 is a view taken along the arrow VIII in FIG. 7, and is a perspective view of a receiving conveyor. [Figure 9] FIG. 4 is a plan view of the joint between the receiving conveyor and the lifting conveyor. [Figure 10] 1 is a right side view of a joint between the receiving conveyor and the lifting conveyor, which shows a state in which the lifting conveyors are positioned substantially parallel to each other. [Figure 11] 1 is a right side view of a joint between the receiving conveyor and the lifting conveyor, showing a state in which the lifting conveyor has reached its lower end and the receiving conveyor is in contact with the floor surface of the luggage compartment. [Figure 12] FIG. 12 is a view taken along the arrow XII in FIG. 2, and is a left side view of the unloading device. [Figure 13] FIG. 2 is a rear view of a luggage compartment in which a large number of luggage items are stacked. [Figure 14] FIG. 2 is a rear view of a luggage compartment in which a number of luggage items of different sizes are stacked. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0008] For example, according to one embodiment, the unloading device is provided downstream of the lifting conveyor and has an extendable conveyor that can be extended and contracted in the unloading direction, so that the unloading area of ​​the luggage unloaded by the unloading device is expanded backward in the unloading direction.

[0009] For example, according to one embodiment, the receiving conveyor is provided with a sloped section that guides the luggage onto the receiving conveyor, and the sloped section is expandable and contractable in a direction intersecting with the carrying-out direction, so that the sloped section can be expanded and contracted according to the width of the luggage compartment, thereby reliably guiding the luggage onto the receiving conveyor.

[0010] For example, according to one embodiment, the receiving conveyor is provided with a guide conveyor that stands on the downstream side in the carrying-out direction and transports the luggage laterally. This ensures that the luggage is transported laterally on the receiving conveyor. In addition, the luggage is prevented from falling off the receiving conveyor downstream in the carrying-out direction.

[0011] For example, according to one embodiment, the lifting device tilts the lifting conveyor in a direction that displaces the upstream side of the lifting conveyor up and down. Therefore, the lifting conveyor is raised and lowered according to the height of the loading position, thereby shortening the transport time of the luggage. This shortens the work time for unloading the luggage.

[0012] For example, according to one embodiment, the receiving conveyor is connected to the upstream side of the lifting conveyor so as to be tiltable in the vertical direction, and a stopper is provided to restrict the downward tilt of the receiving conveyor and to allow its upward tilt. Thus, the receiving conveyor is provided so as to be tiltable up and down within a certain range relative to the lifting conveyor. As a result, for example, the lifting conveyor is tilted downward to bring the receiving conveyor into contact with the floor surface of the luggage compartment at the position where the loading height is the lowest, thereby positioning the receiving conveyor in a position parallel to the floor surface of the luggage compartment. This allows the arm device to transfer the luggage to the receiving conveyor reliably and quickly.

[0013] For example, according to one embodiment, the unloading device has a camera provided on the arm device and a controller that recognizes the luggage based on the image from the camera and operates the arm device and the holding unit. Thus, the camera and the controller operate the arm device and the holding unit to unload the luggage.

[0014] For example, according to one embodiment, when the controller recognizes multiple packages lined up horizontally, it operates the arm device and the holding unit to deliver the packages to the receiving conveyor in the order from the side closest to the lifting conveyor to the side furthest from the lifting conveyor, thereby efficiently unloading multiple packages stacked horizontally and shortening the work time. EXAMPLES

[0015] As shown in Fig. 1-5, the unloading device 1 of this embodiment is used when unloading a large number of cargo items 5 loaded into a cargo compartment (container) 3 of a truck parked in a truck yard 2. As shown in Fig. 13, the large number of cargo items 5 are, for example, cardboard boxes, stacked vertically in multiple tiers in the cargo compartment 3. The large number of cargo items 5 are unloaded sequentially onto a platform 4 of the truck yard 2 by the unloading device 1. In this embodiment, an example is shown in which the cargo items 5 are unloaded from a rear opening of the cargo compartment 3. In the following description, the front-rear, up-down, and left-right directions are based on the truck or the cargo compartment 3.

[0016] The unloading device 1 has a cart 10 and an arm device 20. The cart 10 has endless tracks 11 on the left and right. The left and right endless tracks 11 are rotated in the front-rear direction by a drive motor 12. This allows the cart 10 to move independently in the front-rear direction. The arm device 20 is mounted on the cart 10.

[0017] The arm device 20 is a multi-jointed robot arm, and in this embodiment, a 6-axis multi-jointed robot is used. A control cart 13 is connected to the rear of the cart 10. A plurality of casters 14 are provided on the bottom of the control cart 13. The control cart 13 moves forward and backward together with the cart 10 on the platform 4 with the plurality of casters 14 in contact with the ground. A controller 21 is mounted on the control cart 13. The controller 21 mainly houses a control board including a control program for controlling the operation of the arm device 20, etc.

[0018] A holding unit 30 is provided at the tip of the arm device 20. As shown in Fig. 6, it has a rectangular flat base unit 35. A plurality of suction pads 31 are provided on the front surface of the base unit 35. Each suction pad 31 is connected to a vacuum generator (not visible in the figure). The suction pads 31 suck the load 5 by vacuum and hold it.

[0019] Lighting fixtures 32 are provided at the top and middle positions of the base unit 35. The upper and lower two tiers of lighting fixtures 32 brightly illuminate the luggage 5 held in front. Two types of cameras 33, 34 are arranged on the top of the base unit 35. For example, a 2D camera and a 3D camera are used as the two types of cameras 33, 34. For example, a TOF (Time of Flight) camera is used as the 3D camera. The distance to the luggage 5 and its outer shape are calculated by image processing of the captured data. The obtained coordinate values, etc. are input to the controller 21. Based on this, the operation of the arm device 20 is mainly controlled by the controller 21.

[0020] An elevation conveyor 40 is disposed in parallel to the left side of the dolly 10 and the arm device 20. The elevation conveyor 40 includes a base frame 15 and an inclined conveyor 44. As shown in Fig. 12, the base frame 15 is connected to the left side of the dolly 10. A plurality of casters 16 are provided on the lower part of the base frame 15. The casters 16 are in contact with the platform 4 or the floor surface 6 of the luggage compartment 3, and the base frame 15 moves back and forth together with the dolly 10.

[0021] One inclined conveyor 44 is supported on the base frame 15. A belt conveyor is used as the inclined conveyor 44. The lifting conveyor 40 is supported on the left side of the cart 10 and the arm device 20. The rear part of the inclined conveyor 44 is supported on the base frame 15 via a lifting shaft 41 so as to be tiltable up and down. A drive roller of the inclined conveyor 44 is arranged coaxially with the lifting shaft 41.

[0022] Between the inclined conveyor 44 and the base frame 15, a lifting device 42 is interposed. The lifting device 42 uses an electric cylinder that combines an electric motor and a screw shaft device. The inclined conveyor 44 tilts up and down by the extension and contraction of the lifting device 42. The inclined conveyor 44 can be tilted up and down within a range of about 20° from the horizontal position. The lifting conveyor 40 can be tilted to a rearward tilted position with the front side (upstream side) displaced upward. In the rearward tilted position tilted upward by about 20°, the front side of the inclined conveyor 44 approaches the upper part (ceiling) of the luggage compartment 3. The lifting conveyor 40 can be tilted to a forward tilted position with the front side (upstream side) displaced downward. In the forward tilted position tilted downward by about 20°, the front side of the inclined conveyor 44 approaches the platform 4 or the floor surface 6 of the luggage compartment 3.

[0023] The luggage 5 is transported backward by the lifting conveyor 40. The transport direction of the lifting conveyor 40 corresponds to the carry-out direction for unloading, indicated by the white arrow in FIG.

[0024] A receiving conveyor 50 is provided at the front side of the lifting conveyor 40. The receiving conveyor 50 has a rectangular receiving frame 51 that is long in the left-right direction. A caster 55 for contacting the floor surface 6 of the luggage compartment 3 is attached to the underside of the receiving frame 51. The left side of the rear surface of the receiving frame 51 is connected to the conveyor frame 45 of the inclined conveyor 44 via a pair of left and right support shafts 52. The left and right support shafts 52 are arranged coaxially. The receiving conveyor 50 is supported by the left and right support shafts 52 so that it can rotate up and down within a certain angle range relative to the inclined conveyor 44.

[0025] A pair of left and right stopper pieces 53 are provided on the left rear surface of the receiving frame 51. The left and right stopper pieces 53 extend rearward. A pair of left and right stopper bolts 46 are provided on the conveyor frame 45 of the inclined conveyor 44. As shown in FIG. 10, the left and right stopper pieces 53 come into contact with the stopper bolts 46 from below, thereby restricting the downward tilt end of the receiving conveyor 50 (counterclockwise direction in FIG. 10). At the downward tilt end, the conveying surface of the receiving conveyor 50 and the conveying surface of the inclined conveyor 44 form an angle of approximately 165°. As a result, the receiving conveyor 50 is always held in a rearward tilted position with the front side displaced upward, except when it descends to the vicinity of the floor surface 6 of the luggage compartment 3.

[0026] As shown in Fig. 11, when the lifting conveyor 40 is displaced to a forward tilted position and the receiving conveyor 50 is grounded on the floor surface 6 of the luggage compartment 3 via the casters 55, the receiving conveyor 50 is tilted around the support shaft 52 in a direction (clockwise direction in Fig. 11) that relatively displaces the front side upward. This causes the left and right stopper pieces 53 to move away from the stopper bolts 46. When the receiving conveyor 50 is tilted upward relative to the inclined conveyor 44, the conveying surfaces of both have an angle of about 158°. When the lifting conveyor 40 is returned upward and the receiving conveyor 50 is separated from the floor surface 6 of the luggage compartment 3, the conveying surfaces of both the receiving conveyor 50 and the inclined conveyor 44 are returned to a positional relationship in which the angle is about 165°.

[0027] Although not visible in the figure, a proximity sensor is provided on the inside (adjacent to the left) of the right-side stopper bolt 46. When the stopper piece 53 is detected by this proximity sensor, it is confirmed that the receiving conveyor 50 is at the end of its downward tilt. When no detection is made by the proximity sensor, it is confirmed that the receiving conveyor 50 has been tilted relatively upward and has come into contact with, for example, the floor surface 6 of the luggage compartment 3.

[0028] The receiving conveyor 50 is disposed so as to cross the front of the arm device 20 from left to right. The receiving conveyor 50 has multiple upstream rollers 56 and multiple downstream rollers 57. The upstream rollers 56 are disposed in approximately 3 / 4 of the right side of the receiving frame 51. The upstream rollers 56 are rotatably supported in a position in which they extend in the front-rear direction across the front frame 51a and rear frame 51b of the receiving frame 51. As a result, the conveying direction of the upstream rollers 56 is lateral, from the right side to the left side.

[0029] The downstream roller 57 is disposed in approximately 1 / 4 of the left side of the receiving frame 51. The downstream roller 57 is rotatably supported in an extended left-right position straddling the middle frame 51c and the left frame 51d of the receiving frame 51. As a result, the conveying direction of the downstream roller 57 faces backward and coincides with the discharge direction of the elevating conveyor 40. To the left of the downstream roller 57, on the left frame 51d of the receiving frame 51, a stopper wall 58 is provided in an upwardly standing state. The stopper wall 58 prevents the cargo 5 from dropping off the downstream roller 57 to the left.

[0030] The upstream roller 56 and the downstream roller 57 are rotated in the conveying direction by their respective individual drive motors (not shown in the figure). The luggage 5 transferred to the upstream roller 56 is transported leftward and reaches the downstream roller 57. The luggage 5 transferred from the upstream roller 56 to the downstream roller 57, or the luggage 5 transferred directly to the downstream roller 57, is transported backward and transferred onto the lifting conveyor 40.

[0031] A single delivery roller 59 is supported between the downstream roller 57 and the lifting conveyor 40. The delivery roller 59 is supported rotatably about an axis of rotation parallel to the downstream roller 57. The delivery roller 59 allows the transport of packages from the downstream roller 57 to the lifting conveyor 40 to be carried out more smoothly.

[0032] A slope section 60 is provided at the front of the receiving conveyor 50. The slope section 60 has a fixed slope 61 in the center and movable slopes 62, 63 on the left and right. The fixed slope 61 is fixed immovably in the center in the left-right direction of the front frame 51a. The movable slopes 62, 63 on the left and right are supported so as to be movable left and right along the front frame 51a. The fixed slope 61 and the movable slopes 62, 63 on the left and right are inclined in a direction such that the front portions are displaced downward. The slope section 60 allows the luggage 5 to be smoothly transferred onto the receiving conveyor 50.

[0033] As shown in Fig. 8, the left and right movable slopes 62, 63 are supported by the front frame 51a via slide guides 62a, 63a. The left and right movable slopes 62, 63 are slid left and right by the extension and contraction of slide cylinders 62b, 63b, respectively. The left and right movable slopes 62, 63 each slide a maximum of approximately 200 mm. As a result, the slope section 60 can be extended and contracted in a left-right width range of approximately 1850 to 2250 mm.

[0034] The left and right movable slopes 62, 63 are slid in the expanding or contracting direction according to the left and right width of the luggage compartment 3. This allows the slope section 60 to be deployed across the entire width of the luggage compartment 3. This allows baggage 5 near the left and right ends of the luggage compartment 3 to be reliably transferred onto the receiving conveyor 50 via the slope section 60.

[0035] As shown in Figs. 7 to 9, a guide conveyor 70 is provided at the rear of the receiving conveyor 50. The guide conveyor 70 is supported by the rear frame 51b of the receiving frame 51. A belt conveyor is used for the guide conveyor 70. The guide conveyor 70 has an endless belt 72 driven by an independent electric motor 71. The output of the electric motor 71 is reduced in speed by a gear head 71a and then output. The endless belt 72 is stretched between a driving pulley 71b and a driven pulley 71c attached to the output shaft of the gear head 71a.

[0036] The guide conveyor 70 is provided in a rear region of the upstream roller 56 of the receiving conveyor 50 so as to stand above the conveying surface of the receiving conveyor 50. The conveying surface of the guide conveyor 70 (endless belt 72) faces forward.

[0037] The guide conveyor 70 prevents the luggage 5 transferred onto the receiving conveyor 50 from falling backward. The conveying direction of the guide conveyor 70 coincides with the conveying direction of the upstream rollers 56 of the receiving conveyor 50. The luggage 5 transferred onto the receiving conveyor 50 is also conveyed to the left (onto the downstream rollers 57) by the guide conveyor 70.

[0038] As shown in Figures 1 to 5, an extendable conveyor 80 is connected to the downstream side (rear) of the lifting conveyor 40. The extendable conveyor 80 has six upper and lower slide conveyors 81 to 86. Each of the slide conveyors 81 to 85, except for the bottommost slide conveyor 86, slides back and forth, causing the extendable conveyor 80 to extend and retract back and forth. A front leg 80a is provided at the front of the topmost slide conveyor 81. A rear leg 80b is provided at the rear of the six upper and lower slide conveyors 81 to 86. The front and rear legs 80a, 80b are grounded on the platform 4 or the floor surface 6 of the luggage compartment 3.

[0039] 5 and 12, the front part of the uppermost slide conveyor 81 is supported by the base frame 15. This allows the front part of the extendable conveyor 80 to be connected to the rear part of the lifting conveyor 40. The cargo 5 on the lifting conveyor 40 is smoothly transferred to the extendable conveyor 80.

[0040] As the dolly 10 advances, the upper slide conveyors are pulled forward relative to the lower slide conveyors. When the dolly 10 reaches the back of the luggage compartment 3 as shown in Fig. 5, all the upper slide conveyors are pulled forward relative to the lower slide conveyors and are in a maximum extended state. The bottommost slide conveyor 86 is fixed in the standby position.

[0041] Each of the slide conveyors 81-86 slides back and forth in a generally horizontal position. Each of the slide conveyors 81-86 has an endless belt driven by its own electric motor. The luggage 5 transferred from the lift conveyor 40 is transported backward on the slide conveyors 81-86 in sequence.

[0042] As the carriage 10 moves backward, the upper slide conveyor is returned to above the lower slide conveyor, whereby the extendable conveyor 80 is contracted toward the standby position.

[0043] The dolly 10 advances from the standby position shown in Fig. 1 to the rear opening of the luggage compartment 3 shown in Fig. 2. In the process of reaching the rear opening position shown in Fig. 2, image data of the luggage 5 to be held is processed by two cameras 33, 34 provided on the holding unit 30, and the distance to the luggage 5 and the outer shape (e.g., four sides 5a, 5b, 5c, 5d) are calculated. Based on this, the operation of the arm device 20 is mainly controlled at the rear opening position, and the holding operation of the luggage 5 is started. In the holding operation, for example, each suction pad 31 of the holding unit 30 first comes into contact with the rear surface of the uppermost left luggage 5 as shown in Fig. 13.

[0044] The lifting conveyor 40 is tilted upward in accordance with the operation of the arm device 20 and the holding unit 30. This causes the receiving conveyor 50 to move to directly below the holding unit 30. With the suction pads 31 in contact and the luggage 5 held by suction, the arm device 20 operates to pull the luggage 5 above the receiving conveyor 50. The pulled luggage 5 is transferred to, for example, the downstream roller 57 of the receiving conveyor 50 by the operation of the arm device 20. In the case of luggage on the right side of the luggage compartment 3, it is transferred to the upstream roller 56. By transferring the luggage 5 to a location closer to the loading position, the operation time of the arm device 20 is shortened.

[0045] The luggage 5 transferred onto the receiving conveyor 50 is transported laterally to the left by the upstream rollers 56 and the guide conveyor 70. The luggage 5 transported laterally and transferred onto the downstream rollers 57 is transported in the unloading direction (rearward) and transferred onto the lifting conveyor 40. The luggage 5 transferred onto the lifting conveyor 40 is carried out in the unloading direction. The luggage 5 is then unloaded onto the platform 4 by the extendable conveyor 80.

[0046] After the luggage 5 on the left side of the luggage compartment 3 is transferred onto the receiving conveyor 50, the arm device 20 operates to bring the holding part 30 into contact with the luggage 5 on the right side, which is then transferred onto the receiving conveyor 50. In this manner, the arm device 20, the lifting conveyor 40, and the extendable conveyor 80 carry out the luggage in the unloading direction in parallel.

[0047] The luggage 5 in the luggage compartment 3 is transferred in sequence onto the receiving conveyor 50 as the holding unit 30 moves from left to right. When the luggage 5 on the top tier of the stack is unloaded, the luggage 5 on the middle tier is held and unloaded in sequence from the left side. As shown in Fig. 3, the lifting conveyor 40 is moved to a substantially horizontal position, and the luggage 5 on the middle tier is held by the holding unit 30 and transferred onto the receiving conveyor 50.

[0048] When the luggage 5 on the middle level is unloaded, the lifting conveyor 40 is displaced downward as shown in Fig. 4, and the unloading operation continues with the receiving conveyor 50 in contact with the floor surface 6 of the luggage compartment 3 or the platform 4. In this case as well, the transfer operation of the luggage 5 onto the receiving conveyor 50 and the removal operation by the lifting conveyor 40 are performed simultaneously in parallel. The operation of the arm device 20 is limited to the operation of moving the holding part 30 between the loading position and the holding release position on the receiving conveyor 50.

[0049] As the unloading proceeds from the rear opening of the luggage compartment 3, the trolley 10 advances sequentially toward the back of the luggage compartment 3. The telescopic conveyor 80 extends accordingly. As shown in FIG. 5, the luggage 5 on the lower level is unloaded at the back of the luggage compartment 3. At this stage, the lifting conveyor 40 is displaced downward as in the lower level on the opening side of the luggage compartment 3 shown in FIG. 4, and the unloading proceeds with the receiving conveyor 50 in contact with the floor surface 6. The last luggage 5 is transferred onto the receiving conveyor 50 at the back of the luggage compartment 3. Then, the last luggage 5 is unloaded via the lifting conveyor 40 and the telescopic conveyor 80. When the unloading of all the luggage 5 in the luggage compartment 3 is completed in this way, the arm device 20 and the holding part 30 are returned to the initial position, and the trolley 10 is returned from the luggage compartment 3 to the platform 4. This causes the unloading device 1 to return to the standby position.

[0050] According to the embodiment described above, the unloading device 1 has a dolly 10, a multi-joint arm device 20 mounted on the dolly 10, and a holding unit 30 provided at the tip of the arm device 20 for holding a piece of luggage 5. The unloading device 1 has a lifting conveyor 40 that extends in the discharge direction on the side of the arm device 20 and is raised and lowered by a lifting device 42. The unloading device 1 has a receiving conveyor 50 that is provided upstream of the lifting conveyor 40 and transports the piece of luggage 5 received from the holding unit 30 in a lateral direction intersecting the discharge direction.

[0051] Therefore, for example, the luggage 5 held by the holding section 30 at the loading position in the luggage compartment 3 is transferred onto the receiving conveyor 50 by the operation of the arm device 20. The luggage 5 transferred onto the receiving conveyor 50 is transported laterally (from right to left) and transported to the upstream side of the lateral lifting conveyor 40. The luggage 5 is then transported by the lifting conveyor 40 in the unloading direction and unloaded from the luggage compartment 3. As a result, the range of operation of the arm device 20 in one unloading operation is sufficient to transfer the luggage 5 from the loading position onto the receiving conveyor 50. Therefore, the rotation operation for transferring the luggage 5 onto the lateral lifting conveyor 40 is omitted, thereby shortening the operation time of the arm device 20. As a result, the work time for unloading is shortened.

[0052] According to the embodiment, the unloading device 1 is provided downstream of the lifting conveyor 40 and has an extendable conveyor 80 that can be extended and retracted in the unloading direction. Therefore, the unloading area of ​​the luggage 5 unloaded by the unloading device 1 is expanded backward in the unloading direction. This allows the unloading work on the wide platform 4 to be performed efficiently.

[0053] According to the embodiment, the receiving conveyor 50 is provided with a guide conveyor 70 that stands on the downstream side in the carrying-out direction and transports the luggage 5 laterally. Therefore, the luggage 5 is transported laterally reliably on the receiving conveyor 50. In addition, the guide conveyor 70 prevents the luggage 5 from falling off the receiving conveyor 50 downstream in the carrying-out direction.

[0054] According to the embodiment, the lifting device 42 tilts the inclined conveyor 44 in a direction that displaces the upstream side (front side) of the lifting conveyor 40 up and down. This displaces the receiving conveyor 50 up and down. Therefore, the receiving conveyor 50 is lifted and lowered according to the height of the loading position, thereby shortening the transport time of the luggage 5. This shortens the work time for unloading the luggage.

[0055] According to the embodiment, the receiving conveyor 50 is connected to the upstream side of the lifting conveyor 40 so as to be tiltable in the vertical direction, and a stopper bolt 46 is provided to restrict the downward tilt of the receiving conveyor 50 and to allow its upward tilt. Therefore, the receiving conveyor 50 is provided so as to be tiltable up and down within a certain range relative to the inclined conveyor 44. As a result, for example, the lifting conveyor 40 is tilted downward to bring the receiving conveyor 50 into contact with the floor surface 6 of the luggage compartment 3 at the position where the loading height is the lowest, thereby positioning the receiving conveyor 50 in a grounding posture parallel to the floor surface 6 of the luggage compartment 3. This allows the arm device 20 to transfer the luggage 5 to the receiving conveyor 50 reliably and quickly.

[0056] According to the embodiment, the unloading device 1 has a controller 21 that recognizes, for example, four sides 5a to 5d of the luggage 5 based on images from two cameras 33, 34 provided on the holding unit 30 and operates the arm device 20 and the holding unit 30. Therefore, the arm device 20 and the holding unit 30 operate based on the image data obtained by the two cameras 33, 34 to unload the luggage.

[0057] According to the embodiment, when the controller 21 recognizes a plurality of luggage 5 lined up horizontally at the loading position, it operates the arm device 20 and the holding unit 30 to deliver the luggage 5 to the receiving conveyor 50 in the order from the left side closest to the lifting conveyor 40 to the right side furthest from the lifting conveyor 40. Therefore, the plurality of luggage 5 loaded horizontally can be efficiently unloaded, and the operation time can be shortened.

[0058] Various modifications can be made to the embodiment described above. For example, the lift conveyor 40 is configured to tilt up and down around the lift shaft 41, but it may be configured to move up and down in parallel.

[0059] The receiving conveyor 50 is exemplified as a roller conveyor having upstream rollers 56 and downstream rollers 57, but it may be changed to an upstream belt conveyor whose conveying direction is the horizontal direction and a downstream belt conveyor whose conveying direction is the unloading direction.

[0060] A roller conveyor can be used instead of a belt conveyor for the lift conveyor 40. In this case, it is preferable to use a roller conveyor that has a large gripping force for luggage. Also, a roller conveyor can be used instead of a belt conveyor for the guide conveyor 70.

[0061] The telescopic conveyor 80 may be omitted.

[0062] A six-axis controlled articulated robot arm has been exemplified as the arm device 20 to which the holding portion 30 is attached at its tip, but instead of this, an arm device combining, for example, a sliding mechanism and a rotating mechanism in the XYZ directions can be used.

[0063] The illustrated unloading device 1 is not limited to the case where the luggage 5 stacked in the luggage compartment 3 are the same size as shown in Fig. 13, but can also be similarly applied to the unloading of large luggage 5 and small luggage 7 mixed in the luggage compartment 3 as shown in Fig. 14. For small luggage 7 as well, the size (external shape) of the luggage 7 is calculated by recognizing one or more of the four sides 7a, 7b, 7c, 7d by cameras 33, 34.

[0064] The illustrated unloading device 1 is not limited to unloading work on the platform 4, but can also be applied to cases where the unloaded luggage 5 is sorted manually or by robotic equipment in a sorting work area downstream of the lifting conveyor 40 or the extendable conveyor 80 and adjacent to the platform 4.

[0065] The illustrated unloading device 1 is not limited to the case where the luggage 5 is unloaded from inside the luggage compartment 3, but can also be applied to the case where luggage stacked in a warehouse is carried out to the outside of the warehouse, for example. [Explanation of symbols]

[0066] 1. Unloading equipment 2. Truck yard 3...Cargo space (container) 4. Platform 5. Luggage (large) 5a, 5b, 5c, 5d...sides 6…Floor surface 7. Luggage (small) 7a, 7b, 7c, 7d...sides 10…Trolley 11...Endless orbit 12...Drive motor 13…Control trolley 14…Caster 15…Base frame 16…Caster 20...Arm device 21…Controller 30...Holding part 31…Suction pad 32...Lighting equipment 33,34…Camera 35…Base 40...Lifting conveyor 41…Lifting axis 42...Lifting device 44...Inclined conveyor 45…Conveyor frame 46...Stopper bolt 50…Receiving conveyor 51…Receiving frame 51a...front frame, 51b...rear frame, 51c...middle frame, 51d...left frame 52...Spindle 53...Stopper piece 55…Caster 56...Upstream roller 57...Downstream roller 58…Stopper wall 59...Delivery roller 60…Slope section 61…Fixed slope 62…Movable ramp (left) 62a...slide guide, 62b...slide cylinder 63…Movable ramp (right) 63a...slide guide, 63b...slide cylinder 70...Guide conveyor 71...Electric motor 71a... gear head, 71b... driving pulley, 71c... driven pulley 72...Endless belt 80...Extendable conveyor 80a...front leg, 80b...back leg 81~86...Slide conveyor

Claims

1. An unloading device comprising: A trolley and A multi-joint arm device mounted on the carriage; a holding portion provided at a tip of the arm device and holding luggage; a lifting conveyor extending in a discharge direction at a side of the arm device and lifted and lowered by a lifting device; an unloading device having a receiving conveyor provided upstream of the lifting conveyor for transporting the luggage received from the holding section in a lateral direction intersecting the discharge direction;

2. 2. The unloading device according to claim 1, An unloading device is provided downstream of the lifting conveyor and has an extension conveyor that is extendable and contractible in the unloading direction.

3. The unloading device according to claim 1 or 2, The receiving conveyor is provided with a slope portion for guiding the luggage onto the receiving conveyor, The slope portion is expandable and contractable in a direction intersecting the unloading direction.

4. The unloading device according to claim 1 or 2, The unloading device has a guide conveyor that stands on the downstream side of the receiving conveyor in the discharge direction and transports the luggage in the lateral direction.

5. The unloading device according to claim 1 or 2, The lifting device is an unloading device that tilts the lifting conveyor in a direction that displaces the upstream side of the lifting conveyor up and down.

6. 6. The unloading device according to claim 5, The receiving conveyor is connected to the upstream side of the lifting conveyor so as to be tiltable in the vertical direction, The unloading device is provided with a stopper that restricts the downward tilt of the receiving conveyor and allows its upward tilt.

7. The unloading device according to claim 1 or 2, A camera provided on the arm device; An unloading device having a controller that recognizes luggage based on images from the camera and operates the arm device and the holding portion.

8. 8. The unloading device according to claim 7, When the controller recognizes multiple pieces of luggage lined up horizontally, the unloading device passes the pieces of luggage to the receiving conveyor in the order from the side closest to the lifting conveyor to the side furthest from the lifting conveyor.

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