Sorting device and article conveyance system

Abstract

To acquire a sorting device and an article conveyance system which are newly improved.SOLUTION: In a sorting device, in a first state where a movable part is positioned in a first position, an article is sorted to a first conveyance passage, and in a second state where the movable part is positioned in a second position, the article is sorted to a second conveyance passage. In the sorting device, for example, in the case where a position detection part detects that the movable part is positioned in the second position, at reboot time after electric power supply with respect to the sorting device is cut off, a drive control part controls a drive mechanism so that the movable part is positioned in the second position, and a conveyance control part controls a conveyance mechanism so as to perform a conveyance operation of an article to the second conveyance passage. In the case where the position detection part detects that the movable part is not positioned in the second position, the drive control part controls the drive mechanism so that the movable part is positioned in the first position.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a sorting device and an article conveyance system.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, a sorting device that sorts articles being conveyed on a conveyance path into a plurality of conveyance paths has been known (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

[0003] An article conveyance system including this type of sorting device includes, for example, an article sensor that detects articles at a plurality of positions on a conveyance path, and an identification information sensor that detects identification information of an article at a predetermined position on the conveyance path. The article conveyance system associates the detection information of the article with the identification information to grasp the approximate position of the article on the conveyance path and the identification information of the article. Then, the sorting device sorts the incoming article into the conveyance path corresponding to the article among the plurality of conveyance paths based on the identification information associated with the detection information of the article.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] In the article conveyance system having the above-described configuration, when a power failure occurs unexpectedly, there is a risk that the deviation between the actual position of the article and the detection information of the article occurs, or the detection information disappears. In particular, when there is an article in the sorting device or near its entrance, there is a risk that the sorting device cannot correctly sort the article at the time of restart after a power failure. Therefore, for example, it takes time and effort for an operator to check the identification information of the actual article and move the article to the correct conveyance path corresponding to the identification information, and there is a risk that it takes time to resume normal operation.

[0006] Therefore, one of the problems of the present invention is to obtain a novel and improved sorting device and an article conveyance system that can reduce the labor and time until restoration even when, for example, a power failure occurs unexpectedly.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0007] The sorting device of the present invention includes, for example, a movable part movable between a first position and a second position, a drive mechanism that moves the movable part so as to be switchable between a state of being located at the first position and a state of being located at the second position, a drive control part that controls the drive mechanism so that the movable part is located at the first position or the second position corresponding to each article, a position detection part that detects whether or not the movable part is at the second position, a conveyance mechanism that conveys the article to a first conveyance path or a second conveyance path, and a conveyance control part that controls the operation of the conveyance mechanism. In a first state where the movable part is located at the first position, the article is sorted to the first conveyance path, and in a second state where the movable part is located at the second position, the article is sorted to the second conveyance path. When the position detection part detects that the movable part is located at the second position at the time of restart after the power supply to the sorting device is cut off, the drive control part controls the drive mechanism so that the movable part is located at the second position, and the conveyance control part controls the conveyance mechanism so as to perform a conveyance operation of the article to the second conveyance path. When the position detection part detects that the movable part is not located at the second position, the drive control part controls the drive mechanism so that the movable part is located at the first position.

[0008] Further, the article conveyance system of the present invention includes, for example, the sorting device, the first conveyance path, and the second conveyance path.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0009]

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BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

[0010] Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be disclosed. The configurations of the embodiments shown below, as well as the actions and results (effects) obtained from the configurations, are examples. The present invention can also be realized by configurations other than those disclosed in the following embodiments. Further, according to the present invention, it is possible to obtain at least one of various effects (including derivative effects) obtained by the following configurations.

[0011] The plurality of embodiments exemplified below include the same configurations, and according to each embodiment, the same effects based on those same configurations can be obtained. In the following, the same components may be given common reference numerals and redundant explanations may be omitted.

[0012] Also, in this specification, ordinal numbers are given for convenience in distinguishing positions, structures, etc., and do not indicate priorities or orders, nor limit the number.

[0013] In addition, arrows indicating directions are drawn in each figure. The X direction and the Y direction are substantially along the horizontal direction, and the Z direction is substantially along the vertically upward direction. The X direction, the Y direction, and the Z direction are orthogonal to each other.

[0014] [First Embodiment] [Configuration of Article Conveying System] FIG. 1 is a plan view of an article conveying system 1A(1) according to the first embodiment. As shown in FIG. 1, the article conveying system 1A includes a conveying path 10, a sorting device 100, a conveying path 21, and a conveying path 22.

[0015] The conveying paths 10, 21, and 22 each have at least one conveying mechanism for conveying the article A. The conveying mechanism is, for example, a conveyor such as a roller conveyor or a chain conveyor, but is not limited thereto. The conveying mechanism for conveying the article A immediately before the sorting device 100 in the conveying path 10 is referred to as a conveying mechanism 104.

[0016] In the conveying path 10, the article A is conveyed to the sorting device 100. The sorting device 100 selectively delivers, that is, sorts, the article A to either one of the conveying path 21 and the conveying path 22. In the conveying paths 21 and 22, the article A sorted by the sorting device 100 is conveyed respectively. The conveying path 21 is an example of a first conveying path, and the conveying path 22 is an example of a second conveying path.

[0017] The conveying paths 10, 21, 22 and the sorting device 100 are each provided with an article sensor 40. The article sensor 40 outputs a detection signal of the article A at a predetermined conveying position. Based on the detection signal, it is detected whether or not the article A exists at the conveying position. A plurality of article sensors 40 are provided at predetermined intervals in the conveying direction of the article A in each of the conveying paths 10, 21, 22. Also, the sorting device 100 is provided with a plurality of article sensors 40 corresponding to different conveying positions of the article A. The article sensor 40 is, for example, a photoelectric sensor, but is not limited thereto. Note that the conveying position indicates the position of the article A on the conveying paths 10, 21, 22 and the sorting device 100. The article sensor 40 is an example of an article detection unit.

[0018] Also, the conveying paths 10, 21 are each provided with an identification information sensor 50 (50-1, 50-2). The identification information sensor 50 reads the identifier assigned to the article A at a predetermined conveying position and detects the identification information of the article A. The identification information sensor 50 is, for example, a code reader having a light receiving unit and a decoder, but is not limited thereto. Also, for example, the identifier may be an RFID (radio frequency identifier) tag, and in that case, the identification information sensor 50 may be an RFID reader. The identification information sensor 50 is an example of an identification information detection unit.

[0019] The identification information sensor 50-1 is provided in the conveying path 10 behind the conveying direction with respect to the sorting device 100 so as to be able to detect the identification information of the article A before entering the sorting device 100. Also, the identification information sensor 50-2 is provided in the conveying path 21 in front of the conveying direction with respect to the sorting device 100 so as to be able to detect the identification information of the article A sorted from the sorting device 100 to the conveying path 21.

[0020] [Sorting device] The sorting device 100 includes a transport mechanism 101 that transports the article A in the X direction toward the transport path 21, a transport mechanism 102 that transports the article A in the Y direction toward the transport path 22, and a transport mechanism 103 that transports the article A in the X direction. The transport mechanisms 101 to 103 are configured not to interfere with each other. The transport mechanisms 101 and 103 are, for example, roller conveyors, and the transport mechanism 102 is, for example, a chain conveyor, but it is not limited thereto.

[0021] The sorting device 100 switches between a state in which the transport mechanisms 101 and 103 transport the article A and a state in which the transport mechanism 102 transports the article A by changing the position of the transport mechanism 102 up and down.

[0022] FIG. 2 is a rear view of a part of the sorting device 100 as viewed in the X direction. As shown in FIG. 2, the transport mechanism 102 is configured to be movable between a first position P1 and a second position P2 above the first position P1.

[0023] In a first state S1 where the transport mechanism 102 is at the first position P1, the upper surface 102a of the transport mechanism 102 is located below the upper surface 101a of the transport mechanism 101. In this first state S1, the article A is supported on the upper surface 101a of the transport mechanism 101 and is transported in the X direction by the transport mechanism 101, that is, sorted to the transport path 21.

[0024] On the other hand, in a second state S2 where the transport mechanism 102 is at the second position P2, the upper surface 102a of the transport mechanism 102 is located above the upper surface 101a of the transport mechanism 101. In this second state S2, the article A is supported on the upper surface 102a of the transport mechanism 102 and is transported in the Y direction by the transport mechanism 102, that is, sorted to the transport path 22.

[0025] As described above, the sorting device 100 of the present embodiment is configured such that by switching between the first position P1 and the second position P2 of the transport mechanism 102, the first state S1 in which the article A is sorted to the transport path 21 and the second state S2 in which the article A is sorted to the transport path 22 are switched. The transport mechanism 102 is an example of a movable part.

[0026] Note that as the sorting device 100, various types of sorters, diverters, etc. can be adopted, and the configuration of the sorting device 100 and the movable part is not limited to this example. Further, the movable part of the sorting device may be configured to selectively guide the article A to one of the transport paths 21 and 22, and the first position P1 and the second position P2 may be different positions in the horizontal direction.

[0027] [Control of Sorting Device] FIG. 3 is a block diagram of the sorting device 100. As shown in FIG. 3, the sorting device 100 includes a computer and has an arithmetic processing unit 110, a main storage unit 121, and an auxiliary storage unit 122.

[0028] The arithmetic processing unit 110 is, for example, a processor (circuit). The main storage unit 121 is, for example, a RAM (random access memory) or a ROM (read only memory), and the auxiliary storage unit 122 is, for example, an HDD (hard disk drive) or an SSD (solid state drive). The arithmetic processing unit 110 reads and executes programs (applications) stored in the ROM of the main storage unit 121 and the auxiliary storage unit 122. The processor operates according to the program and operates as a transport control unit 111, a sorting determination unit 112, a drive control unit 113, an end determination unit 114, an article detection processing unit 115, an identification information processing unit 116, a position detection processing unit 117, and a voltage detection processing unit 118. In this case, the program includes program modules corresponding to each of these transport control unit 111, sorting determination unit 112, drive control unit 113, end determination unit 114, article detection processing unit 115, identification information processing unit 116, position detection processing unit 117, and voltage detection processing unit 118.

[0029] The program is a file in an installable or executable format and can be provided by being recorded on a computer-readable recording medium. The recording medium can also be referred to as a program product. Further, the program can be stored in the storage unit of a computer connected to a communication network and introduced into the computer by being downloaded via the network. Also, the program may be pre-embedded in a ROM or the like.

[0030] Also, when at least a part of the computer is configured by hardware, the computer may include, for example, an FPGA (field programmable gate array), an ASIC (application specific integrated circuit), or the like.

[0031] In the ROM of the main storage unit 121 or the auxiliary storage unit 122, information used in the arithmetic processing by the conveyance control unit 111, the sorting determination unit 112, the drive control unit 113, the end determination unit 114, the article detection processing unit 115, the identification information processing unit 116, the position detection processing unit 117, and the voltage detection processing unit 118 is stored. Also, the information used in the arithmetic processing may be described in the program.

[0032] Also, to the arithmetic processing unit 110, a conveyance mechanism 101 to 104, a drive mechanism 140, an article sensor 40, an identification information sensor 50, a position sensor 161, and a voltage sensor 162 are electrically connected.

[0033] The conveyance control unit 111 can control the conveyance mechanisms 101 to 104 so as to convey article A.

[0034] The sorting determination unit 112 acquires the identification information of article A from the identification information processing unit 116, and refers to the data indicating the association between the identification information of article A stored in the auxiliary storage unit 122 and the sorting destinations, the conveyance paths 21 and 22, and determines the conveyance paths 21 and 22 that are the sorting destinations corresponding to the identification information of the article A.

[0035] The drive control unit 113 controls the drive mechanism 140 so that the transport mechanism 102 as the movable part is located at the first position P1 or the second position P2. The drive mechanism 140 has, for example, a motor, a speed reduction mechanism, a rotation-linear motion conversion mechanism, and the like. In this case, the position of the transport mechanism 102 changes according to the rotation of the motor of the drive mechanism 140, and the transport mechanism 102 stops according to the stop of the motor. That is, the drive mechanism 140 can switch the transport mechanism 102 between the state of being located at the first position P1, the state of being located at the second position P2, and the state of moving between the first position P1 and the second position P2. During normal operation, the drive control unit 113 controls the drive mechanism 140 so that the article A is transported to the transport paths 21 and 22 determined by the sorting determination unit 112, that is, so that the transport mechanism 102 is located at the first position P1 or the second position P2 corresponding to each of the articles A.

[0036] The end determination unit 114 determines whether to end the control at the time of restart after a power failure. The operation of the end determination unit 114 will be described later.

[0037] The article detection processing unit 115 detects the presence or absence of the article A at the transport position corresponding to the article sensor 40 based on the detection signal of each article sensor 40. The article sensor 40 and the article detection processing unit 115 are an example of an article detection unit.

[0038] The identification information processing unit 116 acquires the identification information from each identification information sensor 50 and sends the identification information to the sorting determination unit 112. Note that the identification information processing unit 116 may form an identification information detection unit together with the identification information sensor 50.

[0039] The position detection processing unit 117 detects the position of the transport mechanism 102 as a movable part based on the detection signal of the position sensor 161. The position detection processing unit 117 can at least detect whether the transport mechanism 102 is at the second position P2. The position sensor 161 outputs a detection signal of the position of the transport mechanism 102. The position sensor 161 is, for example, a sensor that outputs a detection signal when the transport mechanism 102 is located at the second position P2, and is, for example, a photoelectric sensor or the like, but is not limited thereto. In addition to the sensor that outputs a detection signal when the transport mechanism 102 is located at the second position P2, a sensor that outputs a detection signal when located at the first position P1 may be provided. The position sensor 161 and the position detection processing unit 117 are an example of a position detection unit.

[0040] The voltage detection processing unit 118 detects the voltage of the power supply to the sorting device 100 based on the detection signal of the voltage sensor 162. The voltage detection processing unit 118 and the voltage sensor 162 are an example of a voltage detection unit.

[0041] Also, as shown in FIG. 3, the sorting device 100 may include an emergency power supply 150. The emergency power supply 150 maintains the supply of operating power to at least the article sensor 40 even during a power outage, and is, for example, an uninterruptible power supply device. Further, the emergency power supply 150 may maintain the supply of operating power to sensors such as the identification information sensor 50 and the position sensor 161 other than the article sensor 40 during a power outage. The emergency power supply may also be referred to as a backup power supply. Note that the voltage sensor 162, and the arithmetic processing unit 110, the main storage unit 121, and the auxiliary storage unit 122 as a computer are configured to be supplied with operating power regardless of the presence or absence of a power outage, separately from the emergency power supply 150 or by the emergency power supply 150.

[0042] Also, in this embodiment, during a power outage, the supply of operating power to the transport mechanisms 101 to 104 and the drive mechanism 140 is not maintained, that is, it is cut off. This is because a larger amount of power is required for the operation of the transport mechanisms 101 to 104 and the drive mechanism 140, which would cause the device configuration of the backup power supply to become larger or the installation cost to increase. In this case, it is not necessary to cut off the power supply to all of the transport mechanisms 101 to 104 and the drive mechanism 140.

[0043] [Control Procedure at Restart after Power Outage] FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing the control procedure of the sorting device 100 at restart after a power outage. When restarting unexpectedly after a power outage, the sorting device 100 operates in a mode different from normal operation according to the procedure of FIG. 4. The power outage is assumed to be a state in which the power supply to the transport mechanisms 101 to 103, the transport mechanism 104, the drive mechanism 140, etc. of the sorting device 100 is cut off.

[0044] At restart after a power outage, first, the position detection processing unit 117 detects whether the transport mechanism 102 is located at the second position P2 (S11).

[0045] In S11, when the position detection processing unit 117 detects that the transport mechanism 102 is located at the second position P2 (Yes in S11), the drive control unit 113 controls the drive mechanism 140 to maintain the transport mechanism 102 at the second position P2 (S12).

[0046] Then, the transport control unit 111 controls the transport mechanisms 101 to 104 to start the transport operation of the article A to the transport path 22 (S13). The transport operation in S13 means an operation that enables the transport of the article A to the transport path 22. That is, in S13, if the article A actually exists, the article A is transported, but if the article A does not actually exist, the article A is not transported.

[0047] Here, in the article detection processing unit 115, when article A is detected at a predetermined conveyance position (predetermined position) of article A set corresponding to the sorting device 100 (Yes in S14), the end determination unit 114 subsequently tracks the conveyance position of article A, that is, monitors the transition of the conveyance position of article A. When it is determined that the movement of article A to the conveyance path 22 has been completed (Yes in S15), the series of controls at the time of restart after a power failure is terminated. In other words, until the end determination unit 114 determines to end the control in S15, the conveyance control unit 111 continues the conveyance operation started in S13, and the drive control unit 113 controls the drive mechanism 140 so that article A is conveyed to the conveyance path 22 by the conveyance operation. By the end of the series of controls, the sorting device 100 returns to normal operation. Further, when the end determination unit 114 does not determine that the movement of article A to the conveyance path 22 has been completed (No in S15), S15 is repeated at a predetermined time interval. Note that the determination in S15 may end with a time limit set.

[0048] The predetermined position in S14, that is, the predetermined conveyance position of article A set corresponding to the sorting device 100, is, for example, a conveyance position within the sorting device 100 such as the position where a detection signal is output by the article sensor 40A shown in FIG. 1, or a conveyance position that is in front of the conveyance position where identification information is detected by the identification information sensor 50-1 in the conveyance direction and is behind (in front) of the sorting device 100 in the conveyance direction, and the like.

[0049] On the other hand, in S14, when article A is not detected at a predetermined position (No in S14), the end determination unit 114 ends a series of controls at the time when a predetermined time has elapsed, for example, immediately after S13 (Yes in S16), at the time of restart after a power failure. That is, the control of the transport mechanisms 101 to 104 by the transport control unit 111 and the control of the drive mechanism 140 by the drive control unit 113 at the time of restart after a power failure are ended. Thereby, the sorting device 100 returns to normal operation. On the other hand, if the predetermined time has not elapsed yet (No in S16), the process returns to S14. Here, the predetermined time in S16 is, for example, the time obtained by multiplying the longest time required for article A to move from the transport position where the identification information is detected by the identification information sensor 50-1 to the transport path 22 by a safety factor greater than 1. Note that the start time of measuring the predetermined time may be appropriately set before or after S12 or S13.

[0050] Also, in S11, when the position detection processing unit 117 detects that the transport mechanism 102 is not located at the second position P2 (No in S11), the drive control unit 113 controls the drive mechanism 140 so as to maintain the transport mechanism 102 at the first position P1 or move it to the first position P1 (S17), and ends a series of controls at the time of restart after a power failure. Thereby, the sorting device 100 returns to normal operation.

[0051] According to the procedure of the present embodiment described above, when the transport mechanism 102 is located at the second position P2 at the time of restart after a power failure, the sorting device 100 should have been scheduled to sort the article A to the transport path 22. Based on this presumption, the sorting device 100 sorts the article A located within the sorting device 100 and immediately in front of the sorting device 100 to the transport path 22. On the other hand, when the transport mechanism 102 is not located at the second position P2, the sorting device 100 sorts the article A located within the sorting device 100 and immediately in front of the sorting device 100 to the transport path 21. According to the present embodiment, even if the reliability of the detection information and identification information of the article A is impaired due to a power failure, the sorting device 100 can automatically sort the article A at the time of restart after the power failure. Therefore, compared with the conventional case where an operator manually checks the identification information of all the articles A located within the sorting device 100 and in the vicinity of its entrance and performs sorting, the labor and time required for recovery can be reduced.

[0052] Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 1, an identification information sensor 50-2 is provided on the transport path 21. Therefore, even if the article A that should have been sorted to the transport path 22 is sorted to the transport path 21 due to the above-described control, the article A can be returned to the transport path 22 based on the identification information detected by the identification information sensor 50-2. In this case, the operation of moving the article A from the take-out position 21P to the transport path 22 may be performed manually by an operator. Also, an identification information sensor 50 may be provided on the transport path 22.

[0053] Also, when the backup power supply 150 maintains the supply of operating power to at least the article sensor 40 even during a power failure, the arithmetic processing unit 110 can more easily grasp the transport position of the article A that has been acquired and tracked since before the power failure even during the power failure. In this case, the advantage is obtained that the control at the time of restart can be performed more smoothly, more quickly, or more reliably.

[0054] [Second Embodiment] FIG. 5 is a plan view of the article conveying system 1B(1) according to the second embodiment. As shown in FIG. 5, in the present embodiment, a sorting device 21D and a conveyance path 23 (discharge path) are provided in the conveyance path 21. The sorting device 21D includes a conveyance mechanism 105 capable of discharging the article A to the conveyance path 23 outside the conveyance path 21. The conveyance mechanism 105 is an example of a carry-out mechanism.

[0055] The sorting device 21D acquires the identification information of the article A obtained by the identification information sensor 50-2, and refers to the information indicating the conveyance path corresponding to the identification information. Then, when the conveyance path corresponding to the article A is not the conveyance path 21, the sorting device 21D controls the conveyance mechanism 105 and a switching mechanism that switches between enabling and disabling the operation of the conveyance mechanism 105 so as to discharge the article A to the conveyance path 23 outside the conveyance path 21.

[0056] With such a configuration, even if, in the control at the time of restart after the power failure described above, the article A that should have been sorted to the conveyance path 22 by the sorting device 100 is sorted to the conveyance path 21, it is possible to suppress the article A from being conveyed forward in the conveyance direction from the sorting device 21D in the conveyance path 21. Note that the article A may be carried by an operator from the conveyance path 23 to the conveyance path 22, or may be carried in via a merging device between the conveyance path 23 and the conveyance path 22.

[0057] [Third Embodiment] FIG. 6 is a plan view of the article conveying system 1C(1) of the third embodiment. As shown in FIG. 6, the article conveying system 1C of the present embodiment includes a sorting device 21D and a conveying path 23, which are the same as those of the second embodiment. However, in the present embodiment, the conveying path 23 is configured to return the article A to the entrance of the article A in the sorting device 100. Specifically, the article conveying system 1C includes a merging device 10J that returns the article A conveyed on the conveying path 23 to the conveying path 10. The merging device 10J is in front of (behind the conveying direction) the sorting device 100 and is provided in front of the conveying position where the identification information is detected by the identification information sensor 50-1. Thereby, in the control at the time of restart after the power failure described above, even when the article A that should have been sorted to the conveying path 22 by the sorting device 100 is sorted to the conveying path 21, the sorting device 100 can sort the article A to the conveying path 22, for example, in the normal operation after the control at the time of restart after the power failure. The conveying path 23 of the third embodiment is an example of a third conveying path.

[0058] [Fourth Embodiment] FIG. 7 is a plan view of the article conveying system 1D(1) of the fourth embodiment. As shown in FIG. 7, in the article conveying system 1D of the present embodiment, the conveying path 21 conveys articles into the conveying path 10 via the merging device 10J. The position of the merging device 10J in this case is the same as that of the third embodiment. In such a configuration, the conveying path 21, together with the merging device 10J, the conveying path 10 between the merging device 10J and the sorting device 100, and the sorting device 100, constitutes a circulation path through which the article A is conveyed. Also in this case, similar to the third embodiment, in the control at the time of restart after the power failure described above, even when the article A that should have been sorted to the conveying path 22 by the sorting device 100 is sorted to the conveying path 21, the sorting device 100 can sort the article A to the conveying path 22, for example, in the normal operation after the control at the time of restart after the power failure.

[0059] The above-described embodiments of the present invention have been illustrated. However, the above embodiments are merely examples and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. The above embodiments can be implemented in various other forms, and various omissions, replacements, combinations, and changes can be made without departing from the gist of the invention. Also, each configuration, shape, etc. of the specifications (structure, type, direction, model, size, length, width, thickness, height, number, arrangement, position, material, etc.) can be appropriately changed and implemented.

Explanation of Signs

[0060] 1, 1A to 1D... Article conveyance system 10... Conveyance path 10J... Merging device 21... Conveyance path (first conveyance path) 21D... Sorting device 21P... Take-out position 22... Conveyance path (second conveyance path) 23... Conveyance path (third conveyance path) 40, 40A... Article sensor (article detection unit) 50, 50-1, 50-2... Identification information sensor (identification information detection unit) 100... Sorting device 101... Conveying mechanism 101a... Upper surface 102... Conveying mechanism (movable part) 102a... Upper surface 103... Conveying mechanism 104... Conveying mechanism 105... Conveying mechanism (unloading mechanism) 110... Arithmetic processing unit 111... Conveyance control unit 112... Sorting determination unit 113... Drive control unit 114... End determination unit 115... Article detection processing unit (article detection unit) 116... Identification information processing unit (identification information detection unit) 117... Position detection processing unit (position detection unit) 118... Voltage detection processing unit 121... Main memory unit 122... Auxiliary memory unit 140... Driving mechanism 150... Backup power supply 161... Position sensor (position detection unit) 162... Voltage sensor A... Article P1... First position P2... Second position S1... First state S2... Second state

Claims

1. A movable part movable between a first position and a second position; A drive mechanism that moves the movable part so as to be able to switch between a state where the movable part is located at the first position and a state where the movable part is located at the second position; A drive control unit that controls the drive mechanism so that the movable part is located at the first position or the second position corresponding to each article; A position detection unit that detects whether the movable part is at the second position; A transport mechanism that transports the article to a first transport path or a second transport path; A transport control unit that controls the operation of the transport mechanism; Comprising: A sorting device that sorts the articles to the first transport path in a first state where the movable part is located at the first position and sorts the articles to the second transport path in a second state where the movable part is located at the second position, At the time of restart after the power supply to the sorting device is cut off, When the position detection unit detects that the movable part is located at the second position, the drive control unit controls the drive mechanism so that the movable part is located at the second position, and the transport control unit controls the transport mechanism to perform a transport operation of the article to the second transport path, When the position detection unit detects that the movable part is not located at the second position, the drive control unit controls the drive mechanism so that the movable part is located at the first position, a sorting device.

2. An article detection unit that detects whether the article is at a predetermined transport position; A backup power source that maintains the supply of operating power to the article detection unit even when the power supply to the sorting device is cut off; The sorting device according to claim 1, comprising.

3. The sorting device according to claim 2, configured such that when the power supply to the sorting device is cut off, the supply of operating power to at least one of the transport mechanism and the drive mechanism is cut off.

4. Comprising an article detection unit capable of detecting whether the article is at a predetermined transport position, When the position detection unit detects that the movable part is located at the second position and the article detection unit detects the article at the time of restart, the drive control unit controls the drive mechanism to continue the transport operation until at least the movement of the article to the second transport path is completed, the sorting device according to claim 1.

5. The sorting device according to claim 1, wherein when the position detection unit detects that the movable part is located at the second position, the control of the drive mechanism by the drive control unit and the control of the transport mechanism by the transport control unit end after continuing for a predetermined time from a predetermined timing start time.

6. The sorting device according to claim 1, wherein the first transport path is a transport path provided with an identification information detection unit that detects identification information of the article being transported on the first transport path.

7. The sorting device according to claim 6, wherein, corresponding to the first transport path, when it is determined from a detection signal by the identification information detection unit that the article is not an article to be transported on the first transport path, an unloading mechanism for unloading the article outside the first transport path is provided.

8. The sorting device according to claim 7, wherein, corresponding to the unloading mechanism, the first transport path is a transport path provided with a third transport path for transporting the article unloaded by the unloading mechanism to the article inlet of the sorting device.

9. The sorting device according to claim 1, wherein the first transport path constitutes a circulation path for transporting the article to the article inlet of the sorting device.

10. The sorting device according to any one of claims 1 to 9, the first transport path, the second transport path, An article transport system comprising:

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