Article conveying equipment

Abstract

To provide an article conveyance facility that can efficiently convey an article.SOLUTION: An article conveyance facility is provided with: a conveying vehicle 2 that runs along a predetermined running path 1 to convey an article; an unmanned aircraft 3 that flies through an arbitrary route to convey an article; a delivering part 5 that delivers an article between the conveying vehicle 2 and the unmanned aircraft 3; and a storage device 6, arranged at a position along the running path 1, which stores an article. The storage device 6 has a carry-in part 6b to which the conveying vehicle 2 carries-in an article, a carry-out part 6c from which the conveying vehicle 2 carries out an article, at least one storage position 6a where an article is stored, and a conveying device 32 that conveys an article to the carry-out part 6c via the storage position 6a from the carry-in part 6b. The conveying vehicle 2 conveys an article from the carry-out part 6c to the delivering part 5, and the unmanned aircraft 3 conveys an article from the storage position 6q to the delivering part 5.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an article conveying facility including a carrier that travels along a predetermined travel route to convey an article, a transfer unit where the article is transferred between the carrier and an unmanned aerial vehicle, and a storage device that is arranged at a position along the travel route and stores the article.

Background Art

[0002] Hereinafter, the background art will be described. In the following description, the reference numerals or names in parentheses are the reference numerals or names in the prior art documents.

[0003] The article conveying facility described in Patent Document 1 (Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2019-94201) includes a carrier (1) that travels along a predetermined travel route (conveying route 99) to convey an article that is an object to be processed such as a semiconductor substrate. Each processing device (91) is provided along the travel route (99) of the carrier (1). At a transfer unit such as a mounting table (St) that is provided corresponding to the processing device (91) and where the article that has become the processing target of the processing device (91) is transferred, the carrier (1) carries in the article to the processing device (91) and carries out the article from the processing device (91).

[0004] In addition, the article conveying facility described in Patent Document 1 is also provided with a storage (92) and a temporary storage (93) for storing articles. Storage devices such as the storage (92) and the temporary storage (93) are arranged at positions along the travel route (99) of the carrier (1), and the carrier (1) transfers the article between the transfer unit provided corresponding to the storage (92) and the temporary storage (93). In addition, various conveying devices such as a conveyor and a lifter may be provided in the article conveying facility. In such a case, the carrier (1) also transfers the article between the transfer unit provided in each conveying device.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0005]

Patent Document 1

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

PROBLEMS TO BE SOLVED BY THE INVENTION

[0006] In a conventional article conveying facility as described in Patent Document 1, a conveying vehicle (1) is responsible for the transfer of articles between the delivery section of a processing device (91), the transfer of articles between the delivery sections of storage devices (92, 93), the transfer of articles between the delivery sections of various conveying devices, and the conveyance of articles between the processing device (91) and the storage devices (92, 93), etc. That is, many roles are required of the conveying vehicle (1). Therefore, a lot of waiting time may occur between when the processing device (91) can immediately start processing an article and when the article is carried into the processing device (91) by the conveying vehicle (1), or between when the processing of the article is completed in the processing device (91) and when the article is carried out of the processing device (91) by the conveying vehicle (1). Similarly, for devices other than the processing device, a lot of waiting time may occur between when the article can be carried into the delivery section and when the article is actually carried in, or between when the article can be carried out of the delivery section and when the article is actually carried out. If a lot of waiting time occurs, the conveyance efficiency of the article will decrease.

[0007] In view of the above actual situation, it is desired to realize an article conveying facility that can efficiently convey articles.

MEANS FOR SOLVING THE PROBLEMS

[0008] In view of the above, the characteristic configuration of the article conveying facility is a conveying vehicle that travels along a predetermined travel route to convey an article, a drone that flies along an arbitrary route to convey the article, a delivery section provided corresponding to a processing device that performs processing on the article, and where the article to be processed by the processing device is transferred between the conveying vehicle and the drone, a storage device that is arranged at a position along the travel route and stores the article comprising, The storage device includes a loading section where the transport vehicle loads the article, an unloading section where the transport vehicle unloads the article, at least one storage position for storing the article, and a transport device for transporting the article from the loading section to the unloading section via the storage position. The transport vehicle transports the article from the unloading section to the delivery section. The unmanned aerial vehicle transports the article from the storage position to the delivery section.

[0009] According to this characteristic configuration, the unmanned aerial vehicle can transport the article stored at the storage position between the loading section and the unloading section in the storage device. That is, even an article that cannot be immediately unloaded by the transport vehicle because it is located at a place other than the unloading section in the storage device can be quickly unloaded from the storage device and transported to the delivery section using the unmanned aerial vehicle. Also, when the delivery section is in a state where an article can be loaded or in a state where an article can be unloaded from the delivery section, the article can be quickly transported by the unmanned aerial vehicle without waiting for the arrival of the transport vehicle. Therefore, it is easy to improve the transport efficiency of the article between the storage device and the delivery section, and by extension, it is easy to improve the transport efficiency of the article in the entire article transport facility. Therefore, it is possible to provide an article transport facility capable of efficiently transporting articles.

[0010] Further features and advantages of the technology according to the present disclosure will become clearer from the following description of exemplary and non-limiting embodiments described with reference to the drawings.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0011]

Figure 1

Figure 2

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Figure 8

Figure 9

Figure 10

Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0012] 1. Embodiment The article conveying facility according to this embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. In the figures, three directions orthogonal to each other are described: the path extending direction X, the path width direction Y, and the up-down direction Z. The path extending direction X is the direction along the traveling path 1 (in FIG. 3 and the like, the direction along the straight portion of the traveling path 1), one side of the path extending direction X is described as the path extending direction first side X1, and the opposite side is described as the path extending direction second side X2. The path width direction Y is the direction orthogonal to the path extending direction X in the up-down view (here, the horizontal direction orthogonal to the path extending direction X), one side of the path width direction Y is described as the path width direction first side Y1, and the opposite side is described as the path width direction second side Y2. Regarding the up-down direction Z, the lower side Z1 and the upper side Z2 are also described.

[0013] The article conveying facility includes a carrier vehicle 2 that travels along a predetermined traveling path 1 to convey an article 12, a drone 3 that flies along an arbitrary path to convey the article 12, a transfer unit 5 where the article 12 is transferred between the carrier vehicle 2 and the drone 3, and a storage device 6 that is disposed at a position along the traveling path 1 and stores the article 12. The carrier vehicle 2 conveys the article 12 from a carry-out unit 6c, which will be described later, to the transfer unit 5.

[0014] In the illustrated example, the article conveying facility includes a plurality of drones 3, a plurality of transfer units 5, and a plurality of storage devices 6. It should be noted that the number of each of the carrier vehicle 2, the drone 3, the processing device 4, the transfer unit 5, and the storage device 6 included in the article conveying facility can be set as appropriate.

[0015] As shown in FIG. 2, the article conveying facility includes a control device 8 and a storage device 9 that stores information handled by the article conveying facility. The control device 8 controls a plurality of unmanned aerial vehicles 3, a plurality of carrier vehicles 2, and a storage device 6.

[0016] 〔Processing Device〕 The processing device 4 is a semiconductor processing device for performing various processes such as exposure processing and etching processing. In that case, in the article conveying facility, a container that houses a wafer used as a material for a semiconductor substrate, a reticle used for exposure processing of the wafer in the manufacturing process of the semiconductor substrate, etc. is conveyed as the article 12. For example, the reticle is conveyed in a state of being housed in a dedicated container called a reticle pod. Also, the wafer is conveyed in a state of being housed in a dedicated container called a so-called FOUP (Front Opening Unified Pod). The processing device 4 is provided with a delivery unit 5, and the conveyed article 12 is carried into and out of the processing device 4 via the delivery unit 5. Alternatively, the object to be housed (such as a wafer or a reticle) is taken out from the article 12 placed in the delivery unit 5 and carried into the processing device 4, and the object to be housed taken out from the processing device 4 is housed in the article 12 placed in the delivery unit 5. The operation of the carrier vehicle 2 when the carrier vehicle 2 delivers the article 12 to and from the delivery unit 5 is the same as the operation of the carrier vehicle 2 when the carrier vehicle 2 delivers the article 12 to and from the storage device 6 as described later.

[0017] 〔Carrier Vehicle〕 The carrier vehicle 2 can convey the article 12 between the storage device 6 and the delivery unit 5 respectively. The number of carrier vehicles 2 provided in the article conveying facility can be appropriately changed, such as one or a plurality of carrier vehicles. The carrier vehicle 2 described in this embodiment is a so-called ceiling carrier vehicle that travels along a travel path 1 such as a rail installed on the ceiling side of the space.

[0018] As shown in FIG. 5, the carrier vehicle 2 includes a traveling unit 20, a vehicle body main body unit 24, and a connecting unit 23 that connects the traveling unit 20 and the vehicle body main body unit 24. The traveling unit 20 is disposed above the traveling path 1 at Z2. The vehicle body main body unit 24 is connected to the traveling unit 20 by the connecting unit 23 and is disposed below the traveling path 1 at Z1. In addition, the carrier vehicle 2 includes a cover unit 28 that covers the article 12 held by the holding unit 25.

[0019] The traveling unit 20 has a plurality of traveling wheels 21 that roll on the traveling path 1. At least one of the plurality of traveling wheels 21 is driven by a traveling motor 22 to roll on the traveling path 1.

[0020] The vehicle body main body unit 24 of the carrier vehicle 2 has a holding unit 25 that holds the article 12 in a suspended posture and a lifting device 27 that raises and lowers the holding unit 25. The lifting device 27 is configured to lower the holding unit 25 from the upper side Z2 with respect to the loading unit 6b and the unloading unit 6c to transfer the article 12 between the loading unit 6b and the unloading unit 6c.

[0021] The holding unit 25 is configured to hold the article 12 by gripping the gripped portion of the article 12. The holding unit 25 has a pair of gripping claws 25a (only one is shown in FIG. 5) that grip the gripped portion of the article 12. The pair of gripping claws 25a is driven by a gripping motor (not shown) and is configured to be changeable between a gripping posture in which they move in a direction approaching each other to grip the article 12 and a release posture in which they move in a direction away from each other to release the grip on the article 12.

[0022] The lifting device 27 raises and lowers the holding unit 25 and the article 12 held thereby. In the present embodiment, the lifting device 27 has a lifting belt 27b connected to the holding unit 25, a lifting drum 27c around which the lifting belt 27b is wound, and a lifting motor 27a that rotationally drives the lifting drum 27c. When the lifting motor 27a rotationally drives the lifting drum 27c, the lifting belt 27b is wound or unwound, that is, the holding unit 25 is raised and lowered.

[0023] In this embodiment, there is no storage device 6 below the transport vehicle 2 in the Z1 direction. However, as will be described later, by the loading section 6b and the unloading section 6c that form part of the storage device 6 protruding and retracting along the path width direction Y, that is, by the loading section 6b and the unloading section 6c moving to the lower side Z1 of the transport vehicle 2, it is possible to load and unload the article 12 by the transport vehicle 2 between the loading section 6b and the unloading section 6c. Here, "the lower side Z1 of the transport vehicle 2" means the position that is below the transport vehicle 2 in the Z1 direction and overlaps with the transport vehicle 2 when viewed in the vertical direction.

[0024] 〔Storage device〕 The storage device 6 includes a loading section 6b for the transport vehicle 2 to load the article 12, an unloading section 6c for the transport vehicle 2 to unload the article 12, at least one storage position 6a for storing the article 12, and a transport device 32 for transporting the article 12 from the loading section 6b via the storage position 6a to the unloading section 6c.

[0025] FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the positions where the transport vehicle 2 can access the storage device 6 with white arrows. The transport vehicle 2 is permitted to access the loading section 6b of the storage device 6 to load the article 12, and is permitted to access the unloading section 6c of the storage device 6 to unload the article 12.

[0026] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing the positions where the unmanned aerial vehicle 3 can access the storage device 6 with white arrows. The unmanned aerial vehicle 3 can access all the storage positions 6a, the loading section 6b, and the unloading section 6c. For example, the unmanned aerial vehicle 3 is permitted to access all the storage positions 6a to load and unload the article 12. Incidentally, the unmanned aerial vehicle 3 is permitted to access the unloading section 6c to unload the article 12, but is not permitted to access the loading section 6b to load the article 12.

[0027] As a result, in the example shown in FIG. 4, the unmanned aircraft 3 can convey (carry out) the article 12 from all the storage positions 6a to the delivery unit 5, and can convey (carry in) the article 12 from the delivery unit 5 to all the storage positions 6a. Further, the unmanned aircraft 3 can convey (carry out) the article 12 from the carry-in unit 6b and the carry-out unit 6c to the delivery unit 5.

[0028] In the present embodiment, the storage device 6 includes three or more storage positions 6a. In the storage device 6, the carry-in unit 6b, the carry-out unit 6c, and a specific storage position 33 which is at least one storage position 6a are arranged in a line along the travel route 1, and non-specific storage positions 34 which are the remaining storage positions 6a are arranged in parallel with the line of the carry-in unit 6b, the carry-out unit 6c, and the specific storage position 33. In addition, the storage device 6 has a plurality of storage levels 31 formed by the carry-in unit 6b, the carry-out unit 6c, and the first column along the route extending direction X constituted by the specific storage position 33 and the second column along the route extending direction X constituted by the non-specific storage positions 34 being arranged side by side in the route width direction Y, the plurality of storage levels 31 are arranged side by side in the vertical direction Z, and a conveying device 32 is provided for each of the plurality of storage levels 31.

[0029] In the illustrated example, the storage device 6 includes six storage positions 6a, the carry-in unit 6b, the carry-out unit 6c, and two specific storage positions 33 which are storage positions 6a are arranged in a line along the travel route 1 on the first side Y1 in the route width direction, and the remaining four storage positions 6a which are non-specific storage positions 34 are arranged in a line along the travel route 1 on the second side Y2 in the route width direction. In addition, the storage device 6 includes two storage levels 31. One of the two storage levels 31 is defined as the first storage level 31a and the other is defined as the second storage level 31b. The first storage level 31a (31) provided on the upper side Z2 and the second storage level 31b (31) provided on the lower side Z1 are arranged side by side in the vertical direction Z.

[0030] The loading section 6b of the first storage stage 31a is designated as the first loading section 6b, the unloading section 6c of the first storage stage 31a is designated as the first unloading section 6c, the loading section 6b of the second storage stage 31b is designated as the second loading section 6b, and the unloading section 6c of the second storage stage 31b is designated as the second unloading section 6c. The first loading section 6b overlaps with one of the second loading section 6b and the second unloading section 6c when viewed in the vertical direction, and the first unloading section 6c overlaps with the other of the second loading section 6b and the second unloading section 6c when viewed in the vertical direction. Also, the first loading section 6b, the first unloading section 6c, the second loading section 6b, and the second unloading section 6c are each configured to project and retract horizontally independently of each other, for example, by an electric motor or the like. Note that the directions of projection and retraction of the first loading section 6b, the first unloading section 6c, the second loading section 6b, and the second unloading section 6c are not limited to the horizontal direction, and they may be configured to project and retract, for example, upward or downward from the horizontal direction by an electric motor, its own weight, or the like.

[0031] In the storage device 6 shown in FIG. 6, the first loading section 6b and the second loading section 6b overlap when viewed in the vertical direction, and the first unloading section 6c and the second unloading section 6c overlap when viewed in the vertical direction. Note that in the storage device 6, the first loading section 6b and the second unloading section 6c may overlap when viewed in the vertical direction, and the first unloading section 6c and the second loading section 6b may overlap when viewed in the vertical direction.

[0032] As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the loading section 6b is configured to project and retract along the path width direction Y. When the article 12 conveyed by the transport vehicle 2 is loaded into the loading section 6b, the loading section 6b on which the article 12 is not placed projects toward the first side Y1 in the path width direction. Then, the transport vehicle 2 delivers the article 12 to the projecting loading section 6b, and thereafter, the loading section 6b retracts toward the second side Y2 in the path width direction, whereby the article 12 is stored in the storage device 6.

[0033] The unloading section 6c is also configured to project and retract along the path width direction Y. When the article 12 is unloaded from the unloading section 6c by the transport vehicle 2, the unloading section 6c with the article 12 placed thereon projects toward the first side Y1 in the path width direction. Then, the transport vehicle 2 receives the article 12 from the projecting unloading section 6c. After that, the unloading section 6c that has delivered the article 12 to the transport vehicle 2 retracts toward the second side Y2 in the path width direction.

[0034] As shown in FIGS. 1, 3, 4, and 6, the storage device 6 is provided with a transport device 32 that transports the article 12 from the loading section 6b via the storage position 6a to the unloading section 6c. The transport device 32 is a conveyor, and the storage position 6a is provided on the transport path of the conveyor. For example, the transport device 32 can be realized using various types of conveyors such as roller conveyors, belt conveyors, and chain conveyors.

[0035] In the figure, the transportable direction of the article 12 by the transport device 32 is indicated by an arrow. When the article 12 is carried into the loading section 6b by the transport vehicle 2, the article 12 is transported along the direction of the arrow in the figure via a plurality of storage positions 6a and finally reaches the unloading section 6c. That is, in the illustrated example, the article 12 carried into the loading section 6b is configured to reach the unloading section 6c after passing through all the storage positions 6a. Alternatively, when the article 12 is carried into the storage position 6a by the unmanned aircraft 3, the article 12 is also transported along the direction of the arrow in the figure via a plurality of storage positions 6a and finally reaches the unloading section 6c. Considering that the article 12 is stored while being transported by the transport device 32 in this way, it can be said that the transport device 32 has the storage position 6a, or a part of the transport path of the transport device 32 functions as the storage position 6a.

[0036] The storage device 6 has a waiting area 7 where the unmanned aircraft 3 takes off and lands and where the landed unmanned aircraft 3 waits. The waiting area 7 is a dedicated place for the unmanned aircraft 3 to land, and articles 12 are not stored in the waiting area 7. The waiting area 7 may be provided with, for example, power supply equipment for supplying power to the battery of the unmanned aircraft 3. In that case, while the unmanned aircraft 3 is landing in the waiting area 7, the unmanned aircraft 3 can charge its own battery.

[0037] Considering that both the transport vehicle 2 and the unmanned aircraft 3 operate in the vicinity of the loading section 6b and the unloading section 6c, there is a possibility of a collision between the transport vehicle 2 and the unmanned aircraft 3 in the vicinity of the loading section 6b and the unloading section 6c. In the present embodiment, in order to prevent such a collision, as shown in FIG. 8, on the traveling route 1, the position where the transport vehicle 2 stops when carrying in the article 12 to the loading section 6b and carrying out the article 12 from the unloading section 6c is defined as the transport vehicle stop position 15. When the transport vehicle 2 is within a specific range 17 including the transport vehicle stop position 15, the control device 8 prohibits the unmanned aircraft 3 from entering the loading section 6b and the unloading section 6c and a certain range (i.e., the range 18 shown in FIG. 8) in the forward direction of the traveling direction of the transport vehicle 2 (the direction toward the first side X1 in the route extending direction) from the transport vehicle stop position 15. Note that since FIG. 8 shows a scene where the transport vehicle 2 carries in the article 12 to the loading section 6b, the transport vehicle stop position 15 shown in FIG. 8 is the position where the transport vehicle 2 stops when carrying in the article 12 to the loading section 6b.

[0038] 2. Other Embodiments Next, other embodiments of the article transport facility will be described.

[0039] (1) In the above embodiment, the case where the transport vehicle 2 is a ceiling transport vehicle is exemplified, but the transport vehicle 2 is not limited thereto. For example, the transport vehicle 2 may be another moving body such as an AGV (Automated Guided Vehicle) or an STV (Sorting Transfer Vehicle).

[0040] (2) In the above embodiment, the case where the processing device 4 is a semiconductor processing device is exemplified, but the processing device 4 is not limited thereto. For example, the processing device 4 may be a sorting device that sorts the articles 12. In that case, for example, a container that houses a plurality of products becomes the article 12. Alternatively, the processing device 14 may be a manufacturing device that manufactures an object or the like. In that case, the product manufactured by the manufacturing device becomes the article 12.

[0041] (3) In the above embodiment, the arrangements of the loading part 6b, the unloading part 6c, and the storage position 6a in the plurality of storage levels 31 can be appropriately changed. The storage device 6 shown in FIGS. 9 and 10 includes a first storage level 31a and a second storage level 31b arranged side by side in the vertical direction Z. However, the shapes of the first storage level 31a and the second storage level 31b are different from each other. Specifically, the first loading part 6b of the first storage level 31a and the second loading part 6b of the second storage level 31b do not overlap when viewed in the vertical direction Z. Also, the first unloading part 6c of the first storage level 31a and the second unloading part 6c of the second storage level 31b do not overlap when viewed in the vertical direction Z.

[0042] Furthermore, the first loading part 6b and the first unloading part 6c of the first storage level 31a do not include a retracting mechanism, and the second loading part 6b and the second unloading part 6c of the second storage level 31b do not include a retracting mechanism. However, since the first loading part 6b of the first storage level 31a and the second loading part 6b of the second storage level 31b do not overlap when viewed vertically, and the first unloading part 6c of the first storage level 31a and the second unloading part 6c of the second storage level 31b do not overlap when viewed vertically, as shown in FIG. 9, the upper sides of the first loading part 6b and the first unloading part 6c of the first storage level 31a, and the upper sides of the second loading part 6b and the second unloading part 6c of the second storage level 31b are open and accessible from the transport cart 2.

[0043] That is, when the transport vehicle 2 carries the article 12 into the loading section 6b of the first storage stage 31a, it stops above the loading section 6b of the first storage stage 31a, lowers the article 12 held by the holding section 25 to the loading section 6b, and can transfer the article 12 to the loading section 6b. When the transport vehicle 2 unloads the article 12 from the unloading section 6c of the first storage stage 31a, it stops above the unloading section 6c of the first storage stage 31a, lowers the holding section 25 to the unloading section 6c, and can receive the article 12 with the holding section 25.

[0044] When the transport vehicle 2 carries the article 12 into the loading section 6b of the second storage stage 31b, it stops above the loading section 6b of the second storage stage 31b, lowers the article 12 held by the holding section 25 to the loading section 6b, and can transfer the article 12 to the loading section 6b. When the transport vehicle 2 unloads the article 12 from the unloading section 6c of the second storage stage 31b, it stops above the unloading section 6c of the second storage stage 31b, lowers the holding section 25 to the unloading section 6c, and can receive the article 12 with the holding section 25.

[0045] In addition, as shown by the dashed arrows in FIGS. 9 and 10, the transport device 32 can transport the article 12 along the path extending direction X and can also transport it along the path width direction Y. By using such a transport device 32, the article 12 can be transported to a desired position via an arbitrary path. For example, the article 12 carried into the loading section 6b can be transported to the unloading section 6c via a specific storage position 33 located between the loading section 6b and the unloading section 6c. That is, in the above-described embodiment, the transport route of the article 12 in the storage device 6 is one, and for example, the article 12 that was first carried into the loading section 6b of the storage device 6 was configured to be unloaded from the unloading section 6c earliest (i.e., configured in a first-in, first-out manner). However, the storage device 6 shown in FIGS. 9 and 10 is configured such that the article 12 carried into the loading section 6b can be unloaded from the unloading section 6c in an arbitrary order.

[0046] (4) In the above-described embodiment, an example in which a conveying device 32 is provided for each of the plurality of storage levels 31 has been described. However, the storage device 6 may include a storage level 31 without a conveying device 32. When including a storage level 31 without a conveying device 32, the unmanned aircraft 3 may be made to convey the article 12 in the storage device 6.

[0047] (5) In the above-described embodiment, it is possible to appropriately set at which position of the storage device 6 the transport vehicle 2 and the unmanned aircraft 3 carry in the article 12, and from which position of the storage device 6 the article 12 is carried out. The unmanned aircraft 3 may be configured to convey (carry out) the article 12 from at least one of the loading section 6b and the unloading section 6c to the delivery section 5. The unmanned aircraft 3 may be configured not to convey the article 12 between the unloading section 6c and the delivery section 5, or not to convey the article 12 between the loading section 6b and the delivery section 5. The unmanned aircraft 3 may be configured to carry out the article 12 from all of the loading section 6b, the unloading section 6c, and the storage positions 6a, and to carry in the article 12 to at least one of the storage positions 6a.

[0048] (6) In the above-described embodiment, the configuration of the storage positions 6a in the storage device 6 has been exemplified. However, the configuration of the storage positions 6a in the storage device 6 can be appropriately changed. For example, the storage device 6 may be an automated warehouse having a stacker crane or the like, or a storage area set on the floor. When the storage device 6 uses an automated warehouse having a stacker crane, the function of the conveying device 32 may be realized using the function of the stacker crane. In that case, the article 12 carried into the loading section 6b may be directly conveyed to the unloading section 6c using the stacker crane.

[0049] (7) In the above-described embodiment, the storage device 6 may include a first row configured by the loading section 6b, the unloading section 6c, and the specific storage positions 33, and a second row configured by the non-specific storage positions 34, arranged side by side in the vertical direction Z. In that case, the conveyance of the article 12 between the first row and the second row can be performed using a conveying device 32 such as the stacker crane described above. Further, the storage device 6 may include a plurality of second rows configured by the unspecified storage positions 34. That is, the storage device 6 may have a configuration including a first row and a plurality of second rows (i.e., a configuration of three or more rows). In that case, each row may be arranged side by side in the path width direction Y or may be arranged one above the other in the vertical direction Z. Furthermore, the storage device 6 may include three or more storage levels 31.

[0050] (8) In the above embodiment, the waiting area 7 may be provided at another location. For example, the waiting area 7 may be installed adjacent to the delivery unit 5, or may be installed at a position away from the storage device 6 and the delivery unit 5.

[0051] (9) In the above embodiment, the unmanned aircraft 3 may be configured with a wired connection connected by a power supply line, a signal line, or the like. In that case, a winding device for a power supply line, a signal line, or the like may be installed at the waiting area 7.

[0052] (10) In the above embodiment, the directions in which the loading unit 6b and the unloading unit 6c protrude and retract may be different from the path width direction Y. For example, the loading unit 6b and the unloading unit 6c may protrude and retract along the path extending direction X. Also, the directions in which the loading unit 6b and the unloading unit 6c protrude and retract may be different from each other. For example, the direction in which the loading unit 6b protrudes and retracts may be the path width direction Y, and the direction in which the unloading unit 6c protrudes and retracts may be the path extending direction X.

[0053] (11) In the above-described embodiment, for example, as shown in FIG. 2, an example in which the control device 8 controls the operations of the carrier vehicle 2, the unmanned aircraft 3, and the storage device 6 has been described. However, the configuration of the control device 8 can be appropriately changed. For example, the control device 8 can be configured as a device that integrally controls a plurality of control units provided in the article conveyance facility, such as a control unit provided for controlling the operation of the carrier vehicle 2, a control unit provided for controlling the operation of the unmanned aircraft 3, and a control unit provided for controlling the operation of the storage device 6. Alternatively, the function of the control device 8 may be configured to be borne by an existing control unit provided in the article conveyance facility, for example, a control unit provided for controlling the operations of a plurality of carrier vehicles 2.

[0054] 3. Summary of the Above Embodiment Hereinafter, an overview of the article conveyance facility described above will be described.

[0055] The article conveyance facility includes a carrier vehicle that travels along a predetermined travel route to convey an article, an unmanned aircraft that flies along an arbitrary route to convey the article, a transfer unit where the article is transferred between the carrier vehicle and the unmanned aircraft, and a storage device that is disposed at a position along the travel route and stores the article. The storage device has a loading unit into which the carrier vehicle loads the article, an unloading unit from which the carrier vehicle unloads the article, at least one storage position for storing the article, and a conveyance device that conveys the article from the loading unit, via the storage position, to the unloading unit. The carrier vehicle conveys the article from the unloading unit to the transfer unit, and the unmanned aircraft conveys the article from the storage position to the transfer unit.

[0056] According to this configuration, the conveyance of an article stored at a storage position between the loading section and the unloading section in the storage device can be performed by an unmanned aircraft. Therefore, even an article that cannot be immediately conveyed by a transport vehicle from the storage device to the delivery section of the processing device can be quickly conveyed from the storage device to the delivery section of the processing device using the unmanned aircraft. In addition, when an article is needed in the processing device or when the processing of the article in the processing device is completed, the article can be quickly conveyed by the unmanned aircraft without waiting for the arrival of the transport vehicle. Therefore, it is easy to improve the conveyance efficiency of the article between the storage device and the delivery section, and by extension, it is easy to improve the processing efficiency of the article by the processing device. Therefore, it is possible to provide an article conveyance facility that can efficiently convey articles.

[0057] Here, it is preferable that the unmanned aircraft further conveys the article from at least one of the loading section and the unloading section to the delivery section.

[0058] According to this configuration, the conveyance of an article stored in at least one of the loading section and the unloading section in the storage device can be performed not only by a transport vehicle but also by an unmanned aircraft. Therefore, for the articles stored at these positions, they can be quickly conveyed to the delivery section using the unmanned aircraft without waiting for the arrival of the transport vehicle.

[0059] Here, it is preferable that the storage device has a waiting area where the unmanned aircraft takes off and lands and where the landed unmanned aircraft waits.

[0060] According to this configuration, the unmanned aircraft can be made to wait at a position close to the article stored in the storage device. Therefore, when the article can be loaded into the delivery section, the article can be quickly conveyed from the storage device to the delivery section by the unmanned aircraft. Therefore, it is easy to improve the conveyance efficiency of the article between the storage device and the delivery section, and by extension, it is easy to improve the conveyance efficiency of the article throughout the article conveyance facility.

[0061] Here, it is preferable that the unmanned aircraft performs the unloading of the articles from all of the loading section, the unloading section, and the storage positions, and also performs the loading of the articles to at least one of the storage positions.

[0062] According to this configuration, articles can be loaded into the storage device not only by the transport vehicle but also by the unmanned aircraft. Therefore, the transport of articles can be efficiently performed throughout the article transport facility. In addition, the transport vehicle loads articles into the loading section of the storage device, and the unmanned aircraft loads articles into the storage positions of the storage device. That is, in the storage device, the position where the transport vehicle loads articles and the position where the unmanned aircraft loads articles are set separately. As a result, it is possible to avoid interference between the loading of articles into the storage device by the transport vehicle and the loading of articles into the storage device by the unmanned aircraft. For example, it is possible to avoid a situation where the other one is in a waiting state for loading articles while one of the transport vehicle and the unmanned aircraft is loading articles into the storage device. Therefore, also in this respect, the transport of articles can be efficiently performed throughout the article transport facility.

[0063] Here, it is preferable that the transport device is a conveyor and the storage position is provided on the transport path of the conveyor.

[0064] According to this configuration, it is possible to realize a transport device that can transport articles from the loading section via the storage position to the unloading section with a simple configuration.

[0065] Here, it is preferable that the storage device includes three or more of the storage positions, the loading section, the unloading section, and a specific storage position that is at least one of the storage positions are arranged in a line along the travel path, and non-specific storage positions that are the remaining storage positions are arranged in parallel with the loading section, the unloading section, and the line of the specific storage positions.

[0066] According to this configuration, since the number of storage positions increases, many articles can be stored in the storage device. In addition, instead of the loading unit, the unloading unit, and all the storage positions being arranged in a line, the row including the specific storage positions and the row including the non-specific storage positions are arranged in parallel, so that the storage device becomes compact. Therefore, while suppressing the enlargement of the storage device, a relatively large number of articles can be stored in the storage device.

[0067] Here, taking the direction along the travel path as the path extension direction and the direction orthogonal to the path extension direction in the vertical direction view as the path width direction, the storage device includes a first row composed of the loading unit, the unloading unit, and the specific storage positions, and a second row composed of the non-specific storage positions, and a plurality of storage stages are arranged side by side in the path width direction. It is preferable that the plurality of storage stages are arranged side by side in the vertical direction, and the conveying device is provided in each of the plurality of storage stages.

[0068] According to this configuration, by utilizing the space in the vertical direction, while suppressing the enlargement of the storage device, a relatively large number of articles can be stored in the storage device.

[0069] Here, the transport vehicle has a holding unit for holding the article in a suspended posture and a lifting device for lifting and lowering the holding unit. The lifting device is configured to lower the holding unit from above with respect to the loading unit and the unloading unit to perform the transfer of the article between the loading unit and the unloading unit. One of the plurality of storage stages is defined as the first storage stage and another one as the second storage stage. The loading unit of the first storage stage is defined as the first loading unit, the unloading unit of the first storage stage is defined as the first unloading unit, the loading unit of the second storage stage is defined as the second loading unit, and the unloading unit of the second storage stage is defined as the second unloading unit. The first loading unit overlaps with one of the second loading unit and the second unloading unit in the vertical direction view, and the first unloading unit overlaps with the other of the second loading unit and the second unloading unit in the vertical direction view. It is preferable that the first loading unit, the first unloading unit, the second loading unit, and the second unloading unit are each configured to project and retract independently in the horizontal direction.

[0070] According to this configuration, the first loading section and the first unloading section of the first storage stage of the storage device, and the second loading section and the second unloading section of the second storage stage are each configured to project and retract independently of each other in the horizontal direction. That is, if only one of the first loading section, the first unloading section, the second loading section, and the second unloading section, where the transfer vehicle exchanges goods with the article, projects in the horizontal direction, it is possible to exchange the article while avoiding interference with other loading or unloading sections. Therefore, even when the storage device has a plurality of storage stages in the vertical direction, it is possible to appropriately exchange the article between the storage device and the transfer vehicle.

[0071] Here, the control device further includes a control device for controlling the plurality of unmanned aerial vehicles, and the position where the transfer vehicle stops when carrying in the article to the loading section and carrying out the article from the unloading section in the traveling route is defined as the transfer vehicle stop position. The control device preferably prohibits the unmanned aerial vehicle from entering the loading section and the unloading section, and a certain range in front of the traveling direction of the transfer vehicle from the transfer vehicle stop position when the transfer vehicle is within a specific range including the transfer vehicle stop position.

[0072] According to this configuration, it is possible to fly the unmanned aerial vehicle while avoiding interference between the transfer vehicle and the unmanned aerial vehicle.

Industrial Applicability

[0073] The present invention can be used in an article transfer facility that can efficiently transfer articles.

Explanation of Signs

[0074] 1: Traveling route 2: Transfer vehicle 3: Unmanned aerial vehicle 5: Delivery section 6: Storage device 6a: Storage position 6b: Loading section 6b: Second loading section 6b: First loading section 6c: Second unloading section 6c: First unloading section 6c: Unloading section 7: Waiting location 8: Control device 12: Article 15: Forklift stop position 17: Specific range 25: Holding section 27: Lifting device 31: Storage tier 31a: First storage tier 31b: Second storage tier 32: Conveyor 33: Specific storage position 34: Non-specific storage position X: Route extension direction Y: Route width direction Z: Vertical direction

Claims

1. A transport vehicle that travels along a predetermined travel route to transport an article, A drone that flies along an arbitrary route to transport the article, A transfer unit for transferring the article between the transport vehicle and the drone, A storage device disposed at a position along the travel route for storing the article, comprising: The storage device includes a loading section where the transport vehicle loads the article, an unloading section where the transport vehicle unloads the article, at least one storage position for storing the article, and a transport device for transporting the article from the loading section through the storage position to the unloading section. The transport vehicle transports the article from the unloading section to the transfer unit. The drone transports the article from the storage position to the transfer unit, an article transport facility.

2. The drone further transports the article from at least one of the loading section and the unloading section to the transfer unit, the article transport facility according to claim 1.

3. The storage device has a standby location where the drone takes off and lands and the landed drone waits, the article transport facility according to claim 2.

4. The drone unloads the article from all of the loading section, the unloading section, and the storage position, and loads the article into at least one of the storage positions, the article transport facility according to claim 2.

5. The transport device is a conveyor, The storage position is provided on the transport path of the conveyor, the article transport facility according to claim 1.

6. The storage device includes three or more storage positions, and the loading section, the unloading section, and a specific storage position that is at least one of the storage positions are arranged in a line along the travel route, and the remaining non-specific storage positions are arranged in parallel with the line of the loading section, the unloading section, and the specific storage position, the article transport facility according to any one of claims 1 to 5.

7. Taking the direction along the travel route as the route extension direction and the direction perpendicular to the route extension direction in the vertical view as the route width direction, The storage device has a plurality of storage tiers in which a first tier composed of the loading section, the unloading section, and the specific storage position and a second tier composed of the non-specific storage positions are arranged side by side in the route width direction. The plurality of storage levels are arranged side by side in the vertical direction, and the conveying device is provided on each of the plurality of storage levels. The article conveying facility according to claim 6.

8. The carrier vehicle has a holding part for holding the article in a suspended posture and a lifting device for lifting and lowering the holding part, and the lifting device is configured to lower the holding part from above with respect to the loading part and the unloading part to transfer the article between the loading part and the unloading part. One of the plurality of storage levels is designated as the first storage level and another one is designated as the second storage level. The loading part of the first storage level is designated as the first loading part, the unloading part of the first storage level is designated as the first unloading part, the loading part of the second storage level is designated as the second loading part, and the unloading part of the second storage level is designated as the second unloading part. One of the first loading part, the second loading part, and the second unloading part overlaps in the vertical direction view, and the other of the first unloading part, the second loading part, and the second unloading part overlaps in the vertical direction view. The first loading part, the first unloading part, the second loading part, and the second unloading part are configured to project and retract horizontally independently of each other. The article conveying facility according to claim 7.

9. The article conveying facility further includes a control device for controlling the plurality of unmanned aerial vehicles. In the travel route, the position where the carrier vehicle stops when loading the article into the loading part and unloading the article from the unloading part is defined as the carrier vehicle stop position. When the carrier vehicle is within a specific range including the carrier vehicle stop position, the control device prohibits the unmanned aerial vehicle from entering the loading part, the unloading part, and a certain range in front of the carrier vehicle stop position in the traveling direction of the carrier vehicle. The article conveying facility according to any one of claims 1 to 5.

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