Goods sorting equipment

Abstract

To provide an article sorting facility capable of enhancing conveyance efficiency of articles by a conveyance vehicle while suppressing an increase in the size.SOLUTION: An article sorting facility 1 comprises: a first floor 11 on which a plurality of first travel routes 4 are set; a second floor 21, provided at a height different from the first floor 11 in a vertical direction, on which a plurality of second travel routes 5 are set; a plurality of first lifting mechanisms 6 provided so as to connect end edge parts 42 of the first travel routes 4 and start edge parts 51 of the second travel routes 5; a plurality of second lifting mechanisms 7 provided so as to connect end edge parts 52 of the second travel routes 5 and start edge parts 41 of the first travel routes 4; a plurality of receiving parts 8 constituted so as to receive an article from a conveyance vehicle 3, respectively; and a supply part 9 for supplying the article to the conveyance vehicle 3. Each of the plurality of second travel routes 5 are arranged so as to be overlapped with the first travel route 4 or the receiving part 8 in at least a partial section when viewed from the vertical direction.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an article sorting facility that sorts articles by using a plurality of transport vehicles to transport the articles. [Background technology]

[0002] An example of such an article sorting facility is disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2016-113291 (Patent Document 1). In the following description of the background art, the reference numerals in parentheses refer to those in Patent Document 1.

[0003] The article sorting equipment (sorting device 10) of Patent Document 1 includes a first floor (upper area A) on which multiple transport vehicles (automated guided vehicles 12) travel, and a second floor (lower area B) on which multiple transport conveyors 18 for transporting containers are provided. The first floor is located above the second floor. The first floor includes a supply unit (article supply unit 6) that delivers articles to the transport vehicles, and multiple receiving units (openings 8a) into which the articles are input. The transport vehicles that receive articles from the supply unit transport the articles to one of the multiple receiving units and input the articles. On the second floor, containers (20) are arranged at positions corresponding to the multiple receiving units. Therefore, articles input into the receiving unit are received by the containers (20), and the containers (20) are transported by the multiple transport conveyors 18 and handed over to a packing worker. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2016-113291 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] In the article sorting equipment disclosed in Patent Document 1, multiple passageways are formed on the first floor for transport vehicles to travel through. These passageways include passageways that extend in mutually intersecting directions and are formed to intersect with each other at multiple locations. Therefore, the transport vehicles must pass through multiple intersections when traveling between the supply section and the receiving section. Increasing the number of transport vehicles to improve the efficiency of transporting items presents a problem, such as an increased frequency of transport vehicles having to stop before intersections to avoid collisions between the transport vehicles, making it difficult to effectively improve the efficiency of transporting items. Another possible approach to improving the efficiency of transporting items is to increase the number of lanes in each passageway or the number of passageways themselves. However, such a configuration also presents a problem: the area of ​​the passageways increases, which tends to increase the installation area of ​​the entire equipment in the vertical direction.

[0006] Therefore, it is desirable to realize an article sorting facility that can increase the efficiency of article transport by transport vehicles while suppressing the increase in size. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The article sorting equipment according to the present disclosure is an article sorting equipment that sorts articles by each of a plurality of transport vehicles transporting the articles, a first floor on which a plurality of first travel routes along which the transport vehicle travels are set; a second floor that is installed at a different height in the vertical direction from the first floor and has a plurality of second travel routes set thereon along which the transport vehicles travel; a plurality of first lifting mechanisms provided to connect a terminal end of the first travel path and a starting end of the second travel path, each lifting and lowering the transport vehicle; a plurality of second lifting mechanisms provided to connect a terminal end of the second travel path and a starting end of the first travel path, each lifting and lowering the transport vehicle; a plurality of receiving units arranged in a line along each of the plurality of first travel paths, each configured to receive the item from the transport vehicle; a supply unit that supplies the articles to the transport vehicle in a section of the first travel path that is closer to a starting end than the receiving unit group, or in the second travel path, by using a group of the plurality of receiving units that are arranged along each of the first travel paths as a receiving unit group; Each of the plurality of second travel paths is arranged so as to overlap, in at least a portion thereof, with the first travel path or the receiving section when viewed in the up-down direction.

[0008] Here, a transport vehicle that has received an item from a supply unit travels along a first travel path to transport the item to any one of a plurality of receiving units. After handing over the item to any one of the receiving units, the transport vehicle then travels along a second travel path to return to the supply unit. According to this configuration, the first travel path, which serves as a path for sorting and transporting, and the second travel path, which serves as a path for the transport vehicle's return, can be arranged on floors of different heights. Furthermore, the ends of the first travel path and the second travel path are connected by a lifting mechanism. This makes it possible to minimize the number of intersections between the travel paths, even when multiple travel paths for the transport vehicle are set. Therefore, it is easy to improve the efficiency of transporting items by the transport vehicle. Furthermore, according to this configuration, each of the multiple second travel paths is arranged so as to overlap with the first travel path or the receiving unit in at least a portion of its section when viewed from above. Therefore, even with a configuration including multiple first travel paths, multiple receiving units, and multiple second travel paths, the installation area of ​​the article sorting equipment when viewed from above can be kept small. In this way, with this configuration, it is possible to increase the efficiency of transporting items by the transport vehicle while suppressing an increase in size.

[0009] Further features and advantages of the article sorting installation will become apparent from the following description of exemplary, non-limiting embodiments, which are given with reference to the drawings. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] Perspective view of an article sorting facility [Figure 2]First floor plan [Figure 3] Floor plan of the second floor [Figure 4] Front view of the transport vehicle, the first travel path, the receiving section, and the transport device [Figure 5] Enlarged floor plan of the first floor [Figure 6] Control Block Diagram [Figure 7] State transition diagram between the control device and the transport vehicle [Figure 8] Flowchart showing control by the control device [Figure 9] Flowchart showing control by the control device [Figure 10] Plan view of the second floor in another embodiment [Figure 11] Plan view of the first floor in another embodiment DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0011] An article sorting facility is a facility for sorting and transporting articles. Hereinafter, an embodiment of the article sorting facility will be described by way of example with reference to the drawings.

[0012] [Overview of the goods sorting equipment] As shown in FIG. 1, the article sorting equipment 1 is configured to sort articles W by using a plurality of transport vehicles 3 to transport the articles W. In this embodiment, The facility 1 includes a plurality of transport vehicles 3, a first floor 11, a second floor 21, a plurality of lifting mechanisms 2 for raising and lowering the transport vehicles 3, a plurality of receiving sections 8 for receiving items W from the transport vehicles 3, a supply section 9 for supplying items W to the transport vehicles 3, and a control device H. In this example, the item sorting facility 1 further includes a conveying device 85. In this embodiment, each of the plurality of transport vehicles 3 travels between the first floor 11 and the second floor 21 to transport the items W. The first floor 11 and the second floor 21 are connected by a plurality of lifting mechanisms 2. This allows the plurality of transport vehicles 3 to travel between the first floor 11 and the second floor 21. In this example, the transport vehicles 3 receive items W from the supply section 9 on the first floor 11 and transport them to any one of the plurality of receiving sections 8. After transporting the items W, the transport vehicles 3 move from the first floor 11 to the second floor 21. Then, after traveling on the second floor 21, the transport vehicle 3 moves to the first floor 11 and returns to the supply section 9 (see the arrow in FIG. 1). A new item W is supplied to the transport vehicle 3 that has returned to the supply section 9. In this way, in the item sorting equipment 1 of this example, each of the multiple transport vehicles 3 is configured to repeatedly transport items W to the receiving section 8.

[0013] In this embodiment, the extension direction of each sorting section 4b in the multiple first travel paths 4 is referred to as the first direction X, and the direction perpendicular to the first direction when viewed in the up-down direction is referred to as the second direction Y. The first travel paths 4 and the sorting sections 4b will be described in detail later. In this example, one side of the first direction X will be referred to as the first direction first side X1, and the other side of the first direction X will be referred to as the first direction second side X2. Similarly, one side of the second direction Y will be referred to as the second direction first side Y1, and the other side of the second direction Y will be referred to as the second direction second side Y2. Below, specific configurations of the transport vehicle 3, the first floor 11, the second floor 21, the lifting mechanism 2, and the control device H will be described.

[0014] [Transport vehicle] In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 4, the transport vehicle 3 is configured to transport an article W thereon. Also, as shown in FIG. 6, the transport vehicle 3 is equipped with a power storage device 35 and configured to travel using power supplied from the power storage device 35. In this example, the transport vehicle 3 includes a plurality of wheels 33 that roll on the travel surface 4a, a main body 32 that houses the power storage device 35, and a placement unit 31 on which the article W is placed. The plurality of wheels 33 are attached to the main body 32. The placement unit 31 is configured to be able to freely change its position between a horizontal position (see the two-dot chain line in FIG. 4) for transporting the article W on the placement surface 31a and an inclined position (see the solid line in FIG. 4) for transferring the article W on the placement surface 31a to the receiving unit 8. Also, in this example, each of the plurality of transport vehicles 3 is provided with a position information detection unit 37 (see FIG. 6). Position information holders (not shown) are provided at regular intervals on a first travel path 4 and a second travel path 5 (described later). When the transport vehicle 3 moves along the first travel path 4 and the second travel path 5, the position information detection unit 37 of the transport vehicle 3 is configured to detect these position information holders. Examples of position information holders include barcodes (one-dimensional codes), two-dimensional codes, and IC tags. The detection information detected by the position information detection unit 37 is transmitted from the transport vehicle 3 to the control device H. Each of the multiple transport vehicles 3 can notify the control device H of its current position by transmitting the detection information. That is, in this example, the detection information includes the position information of the transport vehicle 3.

[0015] [1st floor] As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the first floor 11 has a plurality of first travel paths 4 along which the transport vehicles 3 travel. The first floor 11 is an area where items W are transported by each of the plurality of transport vehicles 3 and where the transported items W are sorted. In this embodiment, the first floor 11 is formed to extend in a flat plane. The first floor 11 is equipped with a plurality of receiving sections 8, a plurality of supply sections 9, and a transport device 85. In the illustrated example, the first floor 11 is the floor surface of the item sorting equipment 1.

[0016] As shown in FIGS. 2 and 5, the multiple receiving sections 8 are arranged in a line along each of the multiple first travel paths 4, and each is configured to receive an article W from the transport vehicle 3. In this embodiment, the multiple receiving sections 8 are arranged in a line along the first direction X. The multiple receiving sections 8 are also arranged along a sorting section 4b of the first travel path 4, which will be described later. Each of the multiple receiving sections 8 is configured to hand over the article W received from the transport vehicle 3 to the transport device 85. Hereinafter, as shown in FIG. 2, a group of the multiple receiving sections 8 arranged along each first travel path 4 is referred to as a receiving section group 80. In this embodiment, one receiving section group 80 is configured to include multiple receiving sections 8 arranged along the sorting section 4b. In this example, each of the multiple receiving section groups 80 is arranged in a line along the first direction X and in the second direction Y. In the illustrated example, a pair of receiving section groups 80 is arranged for one sorting section 4b. That is, receiving section groups 80 (plurality of receiving sections 8) are arranged on both sides of the first traveling path 4 in the second direction Y. A space 12 into which a worker P can enter is formed between one pair of receiving section groups 80 and the adjacent pair of receiving section groups 80.

[0017] In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 5, each of the multiple first travel paths 4 includes a sorting section 4b arranged along the first direction X. Also, in this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 5, the sorting section 4b is a section of the first travel path 4 in which a group of receiving units 8 is arranged. The sorting sections 4b of each of the multiple first travel paths 4 are arranged parallel to each other. Also, as shown in FIG. 2, the multiple sorting sections 4b are arranged side by side in the second direction Y. That is, each of the multiple sorting sections 4b is arranged along the first direction X and separated from each other in the second direction Y. In this example, each of the multiple sorting sections 4b is connected to a first lifting mechanism 6, which will be described later, at an end of the travel direction of the transport vehicle 3 (here, the first direction second side X2), i.e., at a terminal end 42 of the first travel path 4.

[0018] In this example, as shown in FIG. 5, each of the multiple first travel paths 4 includes a first merging section 4c arranged along the second direction Y. The first merging section 4c is arranged on the first side X1 in the first direction relative to the sorting section 4b. The transport vehicle 3 supplied with articles W from the supply unit 9 passes through this first merging section 4c and moves to the sorting section 4b. Here, in this example, the first merging section 4c is made up of multiple lanes and is formed by connecting the multiple sorting sections 4b to each other at their ends on the first side X1 in the first direction. Therefore, the first merging section 4c of each first travel path 4 is shared with other different first travel paths 4. A portion of the multiple first merging sections 4c serves as a buffer area 91 of the supply unit 9, which will be described later.

[0019] In this example, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 5 , a plurality of conveying devices 85 are provided on the first floor 11. Each of the plurality of conveying devices 85 is arranged along the first direction X and adjacent to a receiving section group 80 when viewed in the vertical direction. These conveying devices 85 receive items W from a plurality of receiving sections 8 belonging to an adjacent receiving section group 80 and transport them to a shipping location. In the example shown, a plurality of containers K corresponding to each of the plurality of receiving sections 8 are arranged side by side on the conveying devices 85. The transported items W are then stored from the receiving sections 8 into the corresponding containers K on the conveying devices 85. When the items W have been stored in all the containers K corresponding to one receiving section group 80, the conveying device 85 corresponding to that receiving section group 80 is activated and transports these items W together with the containers K to a shipping location not shown. In the example shown, the conveying devices 85 are belt conveyors.

[0020] In the example shown in FIG. 4, a pair of receiving units 8 are arranged on both sides of the sorting section 4b of the first travel path 4 in the second direction Y. A conveying device 85 is arranged on the outer side of each receiving unit 8 in the second direction Y. The receiving unit 8 is provided with a belt that conveys the article W in the second direction Y. The first travel path 4 is configured with a conveyor. The first travel path 4 supports the transport vehicle 3 from below and has a travel surface 4a on which the wheels 33 of the transport vehicle 3 can roll, and this travel surface 4a is located at a position higher than the floor surface of the first floor 11. When the transport vehicle 3 carrying the item W stops at a position on the travel surface 4a adjacent to the receiving unit 8 to be transported, it changes the position of the placement unit 31 from a horizontal position to an inclined position. Then, the item W on the placement surface 31a is transferred onto the conveying surface of the receiving unit 8. The item W is transported in the second direction Y by the receiving unit 8 and stored in a container K on the conveying device 85. In this way, multiple transport vehicles 3 transport the items W to any of the receiving units 8, and the items W are sorted into multiple containers K.

[0021] As shown in FIGS. 1, 2, 5, and 10, the supply unit 9 is configured to supply articles W to the transport vehicle 3 in a section of the first traveling path 4 closer to the start end than the receiving unit group 80 or in the second traveling path 5. In this embodiment, the supply unit 9 is arranged closer to the start end than the receiving unit group 80 of the first traveling path 4 (first side X1 in the first direction). In other words, the supply unit 9 is arranged closer to the start end than the sorting section 4b of the first traveling path 4 (first side X1 in the first direction). In this example, the supply unit 9 is arranged so as to overlap with a part of the first merging section 4c of the first traveling path 4. Also, in this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2, multiple supply units 9 are arranged side by side in the second direction Y. In this example, multiple supply units 9 are arranged corresponding to the multiple sorting sections 4b, respectively. The number of supply units 9 may be less than the number of sorting sections 4b or may be greater than or equal to the number of sorting sections 4b. Also, a single supply unit 9 may be arranged on the first floor 11.

[0022] 2 and 5, each of the supply units 9 includes a buffer area 91 in which multiple guided vehicles 3 can line up, and a supply device 92 that performs a supply operation of supplying items W to the guided vehicles 3 in the buffer area 91, or a work area 93 in which a worker P performing the supply operation is located. In this example, each of the supply units 9 includes the work area 93 in which the worker P performing the supply operation is located. Meanwhile, in the example of FIG. 11, which will be referred to later, a supply device 92 is located in the work area 93. In the work area 93, the worker P places an item W on an empty guided vehicle 3 (i.e., a guided vehicle 3 not carrying an item W) located in the buffer area 91. Here, in this example, the buffer area 91 is located in a partial area of ​​the first merging section 4c of the first traveling path 4. Furthermore, the starting end of the buffer area 91 is connected to the second lifting mechanism 7, which will be described later. In the example shown in the figure, the buffer area 91 is located in the end area of ​​the first merging section 4c on the first direction first side X1. The buffer area 91 is arranged along the second direction Y. In the buffer area 91, empty transport vehicles 3 received from the second lifting mechanism 7 are placed.

[0023] In the illustrated example, the supply unit 9 further includes a conveyor 94. The conveyor 94 transports the items W from an automated warehouse (not shown) to the work area 93. The worker P transfers the items W transported by the conveyor 94 onto an empty transport vehicle 3 arranged in the buffer area 91.

[0024] [Second floor] As shown in Figures 1 and 3, the second floor 21 is installed at a different height in the vertical direction from the first floor 11, and a plurality of second travel routes 5 along which the transport vehicles 3 travel are set. The second floor 21 is an area along which empty transport vehicles that have delivered the article W to the receiving section 8 of the first floor 11 travel. The first floor 11 and the second floor 21 only need to be installed at different heights, and do not necessarily need to be physically separated by a floor surface or the like. In this embodiment, the second floor 21 is located above the first floor 11. The second floor 21 is provided with a plurality of second travel routes 5 that support the transport vehicles 3 from below and have travel surfaces along which the wheels 33 of the transport vehicles 3 can roll. In this example, the second floor 21 is located above the transport vehicles 3 that travel along the first travel route 4. The second floor 21 is provided with a plurality of second travel routes 5 along which the first travel route 4 is set. The second floor 21 is installed at a vertical position so as not to interfere with the article W placed on the transport vehicle 3 on the path 4. In the example of FIG. 3, the second floor 21 is formed in a flat plane including the transport surface of the second travel path 5 and the charging unit 28 described later.

[0025] As shown in FIG. 1 , each of the multiple second travel paths 5 is arranged so that at least a portion of the path overlaps with the first travel path 4 or the receiving section 8 in a vertical view. In this embodiment, each of the multiple second travel paths 5 is arranged so that it overlaps with the first travel path 4 in a vertical view. In this example, the multiple second travel paths 5 are arranged so as to correspond to the multiple first travel paths 4. More specifically, each of the multiple second travel paths 5 includes a straight section 5a and a second merging section 5b. The multiple straight sections 5a are arranged along the first direction X and separated from each other in the second direction Y. Each of the multiple straight sections 5a is arranged so as to correspond to a respective sorting section 4b of the multiple first travel paths 4. Specifically, each of the multiple straight sections 5a is arranged so as to overlap with the corresponding sorting section 4b in a vertical view. Furthermore, the multiple second merging sections 5b are also arranged so as to overlap with the first merging section 4c of the first travel path 4 in a vertical view. In the illustrated example, one straight section 5a is arranged to correspond to one sorting section 4b, and one straight section 5a is arranged to overlap with the corresponding sorting section 4b when viewed in the up-down direction.

[0026] In the illustrated example, each of the multiple second merging sections 5b is located on the first side X1 in the first direction relative to the straight-traveling section 5a. Here, the second merging section 5b is composed of multiple lanes and is formed by the multiple straight-traveling sections 5a merging at the end of the first side X1 in the first direction. Therefore, the second merging section 5b of each second travel path 5 is shared with another different second travel path 5. Note that in the illustrated example, the straight-traveling sections 5a and the second merging section 5b are not arranged so as to completely avoid overlapping with the multiple receiving sections 8 in a vertical view, and there is also an area where at least one of the straight-traveling sections 5a and the second merging section 5b overlaps with the receiving section 8 in a vertical view. Note that in this example, each of the multiple straight-traveling sections 5a is connected to a first lifting mechanism 6 (described later) at the travel start portion of the transport vehicle 3, i.e., at the starting end 51 of the second travel path 5.

[0027] In this embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, second travel routes 5 are set on the second floor 21 in a number equal to or greater than the number of first travel routes 4. In this example, at least one straight section 5a is arranged to correspond to one sorting section 4b. In the illustrated example, as described above, one straight section 5a is arranged to correspond to one sorting section 4b (see FIG. 1). As a result, the second floor 21 has the same number of straight sections 5a of the second travel routes 5 as the number of sorting sections 4b of the first travel route 4.

[0028] In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3 , a charging unit 28 for charging the power storage device 35 of the transport vehicle 3 is installed on the second floor 21. This allows efficient use of the area of ​​the second floor 21 where the receiving unit 8 is not located. In this example, the charging unit 28 is located adjacent to the second merging section 5b. The charging unit 28 is configured in a planar shape so that multiple transport vehicles 3 can park side by side. When a transport vehicle 3 recognizes that the amount of electricity stored in its own power storage device 35 is less than a specified amount (for example, less than 50% of the amount of electricity stored in a fully charged state), the transport vehicle 3 moves to and parks at the charging unit 28 after traveling through the straight section 5a. The charging unit 28 can quickly charge the power storage device 35 of the transport vehicle 3, and the transport vehicle 3 that has completed charging returns from the second merging section 5b to the supply unit 9 on the first floor 11. The control device H may grasp the amount of electricity stored in the electricity storage device 35 of each transport vehicle 3, and control the transport vehicle 3 with less than a specified amount of electricity stored to move to the charging unit 28. The charging unit 28 may be configured to include a non-contact type power supply device or a contact type power supply device.

[0029] [Lifting mechanism] 1, 2, and 3, in this embodiment, the multiple lifting mechanisms 2 include multiple first lifting mechanisms 6, multiple second lifting mechanisms 7, and multiple third lifting mechanisms 20. Each of the first lifting mechanism 6, the second lifting mechanism 7, and the third lifting mechanism 20 connects the first travel path 4 of the first floor 11 and the second travel path 5 of the second floor 21. The configurations of the first lifting mechanism 6, the second lifting mechanism 7, and the third lifting mechanism 20 will be described below.

[0030] As shown in FIGS. 1, 2, and 3, the multiple first lifting mechanisms 6 are provided to connect the terminal end 42 of the first travel path 4 and the starting end 51 of the second travel path 5, and each is configured to raise and lower the transport vehicle 3. In this embodiment, each of the multiple first lifting mechanisms 6 connects the terminal end of the sorting section 4b of the first travel path 4 and the starting end of the straight section 5a of the second travel path 5. This allows the empty transport vehicle 3, after delivering the article W to the receiving section 8, to move from the sorting section 4b on the first floor 11 to the straight section 5a on the second floor 21 via the first lifting mechanism 6. In the illustrated example, the first lifting mechanism 6 has a lifting platform that moves up and down, and the transport vehicle 3 can move from the first floor 11 to the second floor 21 by riding on the lifting platform. The second lifting mechanism 7 and the third lifting mechanism 20 described below also have a structure similar to that of the first lifting mechanism 6.

[0031] In this embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 , M (M is a natural number) first lifting mechanisms 6 are provided corresponding to the respective terminal ends 42 of the multiple first travel paths 4. M may be the same as or different from N, which will be described later, but in this example, M is the same as N. In this example, at least one first lifting mechanism 6 is provided corresponding to the terminal end 42 of one first travel path 4. Furthermore, at least one first lifting mechanism 6 is provided corresponding to one sorting section 4b. In the illustrated example, M=2, and multiple (here, two) first lifting mechanisms 6 are provided corresponding to one sorting section 4b. That is, the number of first lifting mechanisms 6 is provided so as to be greater than the number of sorting sections 4b. This reduces the possibility of congestion occurring before the first lifting mechanisms 6 even when there are a large number of guided vehicles 3 traveling on the first travel path 4. The number of first lifting mechanisms 6 may be the same as or less than the number of sorting sections 4b.

[0032] Furthermore, in the illustrated example, the same number (here, two) of first lifting mechanisms 6 are provided for each set of sorting sections 4b and straight sections 5a that overlap in a vertical view. Therefore, the number of first lifting mechanisms 6 is an integer multiple of the number of sets of sorting sections 4b and straight sections 5a that overlap in a vertical view. However, without being limited to such a configuration, the number of first lifting mechanisms 6 provided for each set of sorting sections 4b and straight sections 5a may be varied as appropriate. For example, the number of first lifting mechanisms 6 provided for each of two adjacent sets of sorting sections 4b and straight sections 5a may be different from each other.

[0033] As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 , the second lifting mechanisms 7 are provided to connect the terminal end 52 of the second travel path 5 and the starting end 41 of the first travel path 4, and each is configured to lift and lower the transport vehicle 3. In this embodiment, each of the second lifting mechanisms 7 connects the terminal end of the second merging section 5b of the second travel path 5 and the starting end of the first merging section 4c of the first travel path 4. This allows an empty transport vehicle 3 traveling on the second travel path 5 to move from the second travel path 5 on the second floor 21 to the first travel path 4 on the first floor 11 via the second lifting mechanisms 7. In this example, each of the second lifting mechanisms 7 connects the terminal end of the second merging section 5b and the starting end of the buffer area 91. This allows the transport vehicle 3 to move from the second merging section 5b to the buffer area 91 via the second lifting mechanisms 7.

[0034] In this embodiment, as shown in Figures 2 and 3, N (N is a natural number) second lifting mechanisms 7 are provided corresponding to the respective starting ends 41 of the plurality of first travel paths 4. In this example, A plurality of second lifting mechanisms 7 are provided corresponding to a plurality of buffer areas 91. In the illustrated example, N=2, and a plurality (two in this example) of second lifting mechanisms 7 are provided corresponding to one buffer area 91 (the region of the starting end 41 of the first travel path 4). That is, the number of second lifting mechanisms 7 is greater than the number of buffer areas 91. Furthermore, in this example, a plurality of second lifting mechanisms 7 are also provided corresponding to the straight section 5a of the second travel path 5. In the illustrated example, a plurality (two in this example) of second lifting mechanisms 7 are provided corresponding to one straight section 5a. That is, the number of second lifting mechanisms 7 is greater than the number of straight sections 5a. Thus, in the illustrated example, the number of second lifting mechanisms 7 is greater than the number of straight sections 5a and buffer areas 91. The number of second lifting mechanisms 7 may be the same as the number of buffer areas 91 and straight sections 5a, or may be less than the number of buffer areas 91 and straight sections 5a.

[0035] Furthermore, in the illustrated example, the same number (two in this example) of second lifting mechanisms 7 are connected to each of the multiple buffer areas 91. That is, the number of second lifting mechanisms 7 is an integer multiple of the number of buffer areas 91. However, the number of second lifting mechanisms 7 connected to each of the multiple buffer areas 91 may be different from one another.

[0036] In addition, in this example, the number of first lifting mechanisms 6 and the number of second lifting mechanisms 7 are set to be the same. In other words, the first floor 11 and the second floor 21 are connected by the same number of first lifting mechanisms 6 and second lifting mechanisms 7, respectively. Therefore, the movement of transport vehicles 3 between the first floor 11 and the second floor 21 can be performed relatively smoothly.

[0037] In this embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 2, 3, and 5, the third lifting mechanism 20 is provided to connect a position midway along the first travel path 4 with a position midway along the second travel path 5, and is configured to raise and lower the transport vehicle 3. In this example, the third lifting mechanism 20 is provided to connect a position midway along the sorting section 4b on the first travel path 4 with a position midway along the straight section 5a on the second travel path 5. A plurality of third lifting mechanisms 20 are provided to correspond to each of the plurality of sorting sections 4b and straight sections 5a. In the illustrated example, one third lifting mechanism 20 is provided for each set of sorting sections 4b and straight sections 5a that overlap when viewed in the vertical direction. The third lifting mechanism 20 is provided adjacent to each set of sorting sections 4b and straight sections 5a. It is preferable that the number of third lifting mechanisms 20 to be installed can be changed as appropriate depending on the number of receiving sections 8 that make up the receiving section group 80, the type of goods W to be transported, the number of transport vehicles 3, etc.

[0038] [Control device] In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 6 , the control device H is configured to control multiple guided vehicles 3. In this example, the control device H is configured to control the first lifting mechanism 6, the second lifting mechanism 7, the third lifting mechanism 20, and the conveying device 85 in addition to the multiple guided vehicles 3. In the illustrated example, the control device H also controls the conveyor 94 of the supply unit 9. The control device H is configured to be able to communicate with each control unit of each guided vehicle 3, the first lifting mechanism 6, the second lifting mechanism 7, the third lifting mechanism 20, the conveying device 85, and the conveyor 94, and is configured to be able to acquire the operating status of each control unit and output commands to each control unit. The control device H and each of these control units include, for example, a processor such as a microcomputer, peripheral circuits such as memory, etc. Each function is realized by cooperation between this hardware and a program executed on a processor such as a computer. Below, the control of the guided vehicles 3 by the control device H will be mainly described using the state transition diagram of FIG. 7 and the flowcharts of FIGS. 8 and 9.

[0039] The control device H designates the receiving section 8 as the destination for the item W carried into the supply section 9 (step #01). In the illustrated example, the control device H designates the receiving section 8 as the destination for the item W placed on the placement section 31 of the transport vehicle 3 (step #02). The destination receiving section 8 is specified. Then, the control device H controls the transport vehicle 3 to transport the item W to the specified receiving section 8. Control of the transport vehicle 3 to transport the item W to the receiving section 8 includes control to make the transport vehicle 3 travel to a position corresponding to the receiving section 8 and control to transfer the item W from the transport vehicle 3 to the receiving section 8 at that position. When the transport vehicle 3 transports the item W to the specified receiving section 8 (step #02), it sends a signal to the control device H. When the control device H receives the signal, it specifies the first lifting mechanism 6 or the third lifting mechanism 20 to move the transport vehicle 3 to the second travel path 5 (step #10). Then, the control device H controls the transport vehicle 3 to move to the specified lifting mechanism 2 of the first lifting mechanism 6 and the third lifting mechanism 20. When the transport vehicle 3 moves to the specified lifting mechanism 2 of the first lifting mechanism 6 and the third lifting mechanism 20 (step #03), it sends a signal to the control device H. Furthermore, when the transport vehicle 3 arrives at the second travel path 5 via the lifting mechanism 2 (step #04), it transmits a signal to the control device H. Upon receiving the signal, the control device H designates one of the multiple supply units 9 (step #20). The control device H controls the transport vehicle 3 to move to the second lifting mechanism 7 connected to the buffer area 91 of the designated supply unit 9. When the transport vehicle 3 moves to the designated supply unit 9 via the second lifting mechanism 7 (step #05), it transmits a signal to the control device H.

[0040] In addition, the control device H may specify the receiving section 8 as the destination for the item W being brought into the supply section 9 (step #01), and at the same time, may specify the first lifting mechanism 6 or the third lifting mechanism 20 to move the transport vehicle 3 after transporting the item W (step #10). In other words, the specification of the first lifting mechanism 6 or the third lifting mechanism 20 to move the transport vehicle 3 from the first floor 11 to the second floor 21 after transporting the item W may be made before the transport of the item W to the receiving section 8 is completed.

[0041] FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing the step (step #10 in FIG. 7) in which the control device H designates the first lifting mechanism 6 or the third lifting mechanism 20. As shown in FIG. 8, the control device H first determines whether the receiving unit 8 designated as the transfer destination is located closer to the start end than the third lifting mechanism 20 (the start end of the first travel path 4) (step #11). Then, if it is determined that the receiving unit 8 designated as the transfer destination is closer to the start end than the third lifting mechanism 20 (step #11: Yes), the control device H designates the third lifting mechanism 20 as the destination of the transport vehicle 3 (step #12). Furthermore, the control device H sends a command to the transport vehicle 3, after transporting the article W to this receiving unit 8, to move to the third lifting mechanism 20 (step #14). On the other hand, if it is determined that the receiving section 8 designated as the transfer destination is not located closer to the starting end than the third lifting mechanism 20 (step #11: No), the control device H designates the first lifting mechanism 6 as the destination of the transfer vehicle 3 (step #13). Then, the control device H sends a command to the transfer vehicle 3, after transferring the article W to the receiving section 8, to move to the first lifting mechanism 6 (step #14).

[0042] In this embodiment, the control device H controls the travel of the multiple guided vehicles 3 so that the number of guided vehicles 3 lined up in each buffer area 91 of the multiple supply units 9 becomes approximately equal among the multiple supply units 9. In this example, the control device H controls the guided vehicles 3 traveling on the second travel path 5 so that they move to the supply unit 9, among the multiple supply units 9, that has the fewest number of guided vehicles 3 arranged in its buffer area 91. In this example, the control device H commands the guided vehicles that have moved from the sorting section 4b to the straight section 5a to move to the buffer area 91, among the multiple buffer areas 91, that has the fewest number of guided vehicles 3. Upon receiving this command, the guided vehicles 3 move to the buffer area 91 designated as their destination via the corresponding second lifting mechanism 7.

[0043] 9 is a flowchart showing the step (step #20 in FIG. 7) in which the control device H designates one of the plurality of supply units 9. As shown in FIG. 9, the control device H first acquires information on the number of carriers 3 present in each buffer area 91 of the plurality of supply units 9. (Step #21). In this example, the control device H can know the number of guided vehicles 3 present in each buffer area 91 by acquiring the above-mentioned detection information (position information) transmitted from each of the multiple guided vehicles 3. Next, the control device H designates the supply unit 9 to which the buffer area 91 with the fewest number of guided vehicles 3 belongs as the destination of the guided vehicle 3 (Step #22). Then, a command is sent to the guided vehicle 3 traveling on the second travel path 5 to move to the buffer area 91 of the designated supply unit 9 (Step #23). The command from the control device H to the guided vehicle 3 may be issued while the guided vehicle 3 is traveling on the straight section 5a, or may be issued at the timing of entering the second merging section 5b. Furthermore, the control device H may designate the buffer area 91 with the fewest number of guided vehicles 3 as the destination of the guided vehicle 3 from among the multiple buffer areas 91 located close to the straight section 5a on which the guided vehicle 3 to be instructed travels. For example, the buffer area 91 with the fewest number of transport vehicles 3 may be selected from among the buffer area 91 closest to the straight section 5a on which the transport vehicle 3 that is the target of the command is traveling and the buffer areas 91 on either side of that buffer area 91.

[0044] Other Embodiments Next, other embodiments of the article sorting system will be described.

[0045] (1) In the above embodiment, the supply unit 9 is configured to supply items W to the transport vehicle 3 in a section of the first travel path 4 closer to the starting end than the receiving unit group 80. However, without being limited to such a configuration, the supply unit 9 may be configured to supply items W to the transport vehicle 3 on the second travel path 5. An example of such a configuration is shown in FIG. 10. In the example of FIG. 10, multiple supply units 9 are arranged corresponding to multiple straight sections 5a. They are configured to be able to supply items W to empty transport vehicles 3 in the straight sections 5a. In this case, a buffer area 91 may be arranged in a part of the straight sections 5a. Furthermore, the buffer area 91 may be provided separately from the straight sections 5a so that the transport vehicle 3 can move between the straight sections 5a and the buffer area 91.

[0046] (2) In the above embodiment, the second floor 21 is described as being located above the first floor 11. However, the present invention is not limited to such a configuration, and the second floor 21 may be located below the first floor 11. Even in this case, it is preferable that each of the multiple second travel paths 5 (straight section 5a, second merging section 5b) is arranged so that at least a portion of the second travel path 5 overlaps with the first travel path 4 (sorting section 4b, first merging section 4c) or the receiving section 8 when viewed in the vertical direction.

[0047] (3) In the above embodiment, the first floor 11 and the second floor 21 are connected by the same number of first lifting mechanisms 6 and second lifting mechanisms 7. However, the present invention is not limited to such a configuration, and the numbers of first lifting mechanisms 6 and second lifting mechanisms 7 connecting the first floor 11 and the second floor 21 may be different from each other.

[0048] (4) In the above embodiment, a configuration has been described in which the number of straight sections 5a of the second travel path 5 is the same as the number of sorting sections 4b of the first travel path 4. However, the present invention is not limited to such a configuration, and the number of straight sections 5a of the second travel path 5 may be greater than the number of sorting sections 4b of the first travel path 4. That is, in the above embodiment, the same number of second travel paths 5 as the number of first travel paths 4 are set on the second floor 21. However, a greater number of second travel paths 5 than the number of first travel paths 4 may be set on the second floor 21. An example of such a configuration is shown in FIG. 10. In the example shown in FIG. 10, multiple (here, two) straight sections 5a are arranged corresponding to one sorting section 4b. That is, in the example shown in FIG. 10, the number of second travel paths 5 is greater than the number of first travel paths 4 for the first travel path 4 and the second travel path 5 connected to a common first lifting mechanism 6. After transporting the article W to the receiving section 8, the transport vehicle 3 travels through one of the multiple straight sections 5a and enters the second merging section 5b. The transport vehicle 3, which has been moved from the sorting section 4b to the straight section 5a by the third lifting mechanism 20, is also configured to be able to travel in any of the plurality of straight sections 5a. In this configuration, each of the plurality of second travel paths 5 is arranged so as to at least partially overlap with the first travel path 4 and the receiving section 8 when viewed in the up-down direction.

[0049] (5) In the above embodiment, the multiple sorting sections 4b are arranged parallel to each other. However, the present invention is not limited to such a configuration, and the multiple sorting sections 4b do not have to be arranged parallel to each other.

[0050] (6) In the above embodiment, a configuration in which the multiple sorting sections 4b are arranged side by side in the second direction Y has been described as an example. However, the present invention is not limited to such a configuration, and the multiple sorting sections 4b do not have to be arranged side by side in the second direction Y.

[0051] (7) In the above embodiment, an example has been described in which each of the multiple supply units 9 includes a work area 93 where a worker P is located to perform supply work on a transport vehicle 3 in a buffer area 91. However, the present invention is not limited to such a configuration, and a supply device 92 that performs supply work to supply items to a transport vehicle 3 in the buffer area 91 may be located in the work area 93. An example of such a configuration is shown in FIG. 11. In the example of FIG. 11, a supply device 92 is provided adjacent to the buffer area 91. This supply device 92 has the function of transferring items W on a conveyor 94 to a transport vehicle 3 in the buffer area 91. In the illustrated example, the supply device 92 is a picking robot equipped with a robot arm.

[0052] (8) In the above embodiment, the article sorting equipment is described as having a third lifting mechanism 20 that connects a position midway along the first travel path 4 with a position midway along the second travel path 5. However, the article sorting equipment is not limited to such a configuration, and may not be equipped with the third lifting mechanism 20.

[0053] (9) In the above embodiment, the charging unit 28 for charging the power storage device of the transport vehicle 3 is installed on the second floor 21. However, the present invention is not limited to such a configuration, and the charging unit 28 may be installed on the first floor 11.

[0054] (10) The configurations disclosed in the above-described embodiments (including the above-described embodiments and other embodiments; the same applies hereinafter) can be applied in combination with configurations disclosed in other embodiments, as long as no contradiction occurs. Regarding other configurations, the embodiments disclosed in this specification are illustrative in all respects and can be appropriately modified within the scope of the present disclosure.

[0055] [Summary of the above embodiment] The lifting device described above will now be outlined.

[0056] The article sorting equipment according to the present disclosure is an article sorting equipment that sorts articles by each of a plurality of transport vehicles transporting the articles, a first floor on which a plurality of first travel routes along which the transport vehicle travels are set; a second floor that is installed at a different height in the vertical direction from the first floor and has a plurality of second travel routes set thereon along which the transport vehicles travel; a plurality of first lifting mechanisms provided to connect a terminal end of the first travel path and a starting end of the second travel path, each lifting and lowering the transport vehicle; a plurality of second lifting mechanisms provided to connect a terminal end of the second travel path and a starting end of the first travel path, each lifting and lowering the transport vehicle; A plurality of the first travel paths are arranged along the respective first travel paths, and each of the a plurality of receivers configured to receive the items from the transport vehicle; a supply unit that supplies the articles to the transport vehicle in a section of the first travel path that is closer to a starting end than the receiving unit group, or in the second travel path, by using a group of the plurality of receiving units that are arranged along each of the first travel paths as a receiving unit group; Each of the plurality of second travel paths is arranged so as to overlap, in at least a portion thereof, with the first travel path or the receiving section when viewed in the up-down direction.

[0057] Here, a transport vehicle that has received an item from a supply unit travels along a first travel path to transport the item to any one of a plurality of receiving units. After handing over the item to any one of the receiving units, the transport vehicle then travels along a second travel path to return to the supply unit. According to this configuration, the first travel path, which serves as a path for sorting and transporting, and the second travel path, which serves as a path for the transport vehicle's return, can be arranged on floors of different heights. Furthermore, the ends of the first travel path and the second travel path are connected by a lifting mechanism. This makes it possible to minimize the number of intersections between the travel paths, even when multiple travel paths for the transport vehicle are set. Therefore, it is easy to improve the efficiency of transporting items by the transport vehicle. Furthermore, according to this configuration, each of the multiple second travel paths is arranged so as to overlap with the first travel path or the receiving unit in at least a portion of its section when viewed from above. Therefore, even with a configuration including multiple first travel paths, multiple receiving units, and multiple second travel paths, the installation area of ​​the article sorting equipment when viewed from above can be kept small. In this way, with this configuration, it is possible to increase the efficiency of transporting items by the transport vehicle while suppressing an increase in size.

[0058] Here, M (M is a natural number) first lifting mechanisms are provided corresponding to the respective end portions of the plurality of first travel paths, It is preferable that N (N is a natural number) second lifting mechanisms are provided corresponding to the respective starting ends of the plurality of first travel paths.

[0059] According to this configuration, at least one first lifting mechanism is provided at the end of each of the plurality of first travel paths, and at least one second lifting mechanism is provided at the start of each of the plurality of first travel paths. Therefore, even when a large number of guided vehicles travel on the first travel paths and the second travel paths, congestion of guided vehicles can be prevented before the first lifting mechanism and the second lifting mechanism. Furthermore, if the number of first lifting mechanisms and the number of second lifting mechanisms are the same, congestion of guided vehicles at either the first lifting mechanism or the second lifting mechanism can be easily avoided.

[0060] It is also preferable that the second floor has the second travel routes set in a number equal to or greater than the number of the first travel routes.

[0061] This configuration makes it easier for transport vehicles to quickly return to the supply section after transporting items to the receiving section. This reduces the possibility of a situation occurring where no transport vehicles have returned even though the supply section is able to supply items. This makes it easier to improve the efficiency of transporting items by transport vehicles.

[0062] Further, the section in which the receiving section group is arranged in the first travel route is defined as a sorting section, It is preferable that the sorting sections of the plurality of first travel paths are arranged parallel to one another.

[0063] According to this configuration, it is easy to keep small the installation area, as viewed in the up-down direction, of each of the sorting sections of the plurality of first travel routes and the groups of receiving units arranged along the sorting sections.

[0064] Further, the extension direction of each of the sorting sections in the plurality of first travel paths is defined as a first direction, and the direction perpendicular to the first direction when viewed in the up-down direction is defined as a second direction, It is preferable that a plurality of the sorting sections are arranged to be aligned in the second direction, and a plurality of the supply units are arranged to be aligned in the second direction.

[0065] According to this configuration, it is easy to arrange multiple supply units in parallel with multiple sorting sections. Therefore, it is easy to arrange multiple supply units and multiple sorting sections in relatively close positions. Furthermore, since multiple supply units are arranged, the efficiency of supplying items to the transport vehicles by the supply units can be improved. Therefore, the efficiency of transporting items by the transport vehicles can be easily improved as a whole in the article sorting equipment.

[0066] Also, a control device that controls the plurality of transport vehicles and a plurality of the supply units are provided, Each of the plurality of supply units is a buffer area in which a plurality of the transport vehicles can be lined up; a supply device that performs a supply operation of supplying the items to the transport vehicle in the buffer area, or a work area where a worker that performs the supply operation is located, It is preferable that the control device controls the movement of the multiple transport vehicles so that the number of transport vehicles lined up in the buffer area of ​​each of the multiple supply units is approximately equal among the multiple supply units.

[0067] According to this configuration, multiple transport vehicles can be placed on standby in each of the multiple buffer areas. This makes it easier to reduce the imbalance in the number of transport vehicles among the multiple supply units. This reduces the possibility of a situation where there is no transport vehicle available to receive the supply of items at the supply unit.

[0068] Preferably, the transport system further comprises a third lifting mechanism that is provided to connect a midpoint of the first travel path and a midpoint of the second travel path and that lifts and lowers the transport vehicle.

[0069] According to this configuration, a transport vehicle that has delivered an article to the receiving section that is closer to the start end of the first travel path than the third lifting mechanism can move to the second travel path more quickly by using the third lifting mechanism compared to when using the first lifting mechanism. Therefore, the transport vehicle can return to the supply section more quickly after delivering the article.

[0070] The transport vehicle is further configured to include a power storage device and to travel using electric power from the power storage device, It is preferable that a charging unit for charging the power storage device of the transport vehicle is installed on the second floor.

[0071] According to this configuration, by installing the charging unit on the second floor where no receiving unit is located, the area of ​​the second floor can be used efficiently.

[0072] It is sufficient for the article sorting equipment according to the present disclosure to achieve at least one of the above-mentioned effects. [Explanation of symbols]

[0073] 1: Goods sorting equipment 2: Lifting mechanism 3: Transport vehicle 4: First driving route 4b: Sorting section 5: Second driving route 6: First lifting mechanism 7: Second lifting mechanism 8:Reception Department 9: Supply section 11: 1st floor 20: Third lifting mechanism 21: 2nd floor 28:Charge part 35: Power storage device 41: Starting point of the first travel path 42: End of the first travel route 51: Starting point of the second travel path 52: End of second travel path 80:Acceptance group 91: Buffer area 92: Feeding device 93:Work area H: Control device P: worker W:Goods X: 1st direction Y: Second direction

Claims

1. An article sorting facility in which articles are sorted by transport vehicles transporting the articles, a first floor on which a first travel route for the transport vehicle is set, the first travel route being a route for sorting and transport; a second floor that is installed at a different height in the vertical direction from the first floor and has a second travel path set thereon along which the transport vehicle travels; a first lifting mechanism that is provided to connect a terminal end of the first travel path and a starting end of the second travel path and that lifts and lowers the transport vehicle; a second lifting mechanism that is provided to connect a terminal end of the second travel path and a starting end of the first travel path and that lifts and lowers the transport vehicle; a plurality of receiving units arranged in a line along the first travel path, each configured to receive the items sorted by the transport vehicle; An item sorting facility comprising: a group of multiple receiving sections arranged along the first traveling path, which is referred to as a receiving section group; and a supply section provided separately from the receiving sections, which supplies the items to be sorted to the transport vehicle in a section of the first traveling path that is closer to the starting end of the receiving section group or in the second traveling path.

2. The article sorting facility according to claim 1 , wherein the second travel path is arranged so as to overlap with the first travel path or the receiving unit in at least a portion of the second travel path when viewed in the up-down direction.

3. 3. The item sorting equipment of claim 1 or 2, wherein each of the plurality of transport vehicles is configured to receive the item from the supply section, travel along the first travel path, transport the item to one of the plurality of receiving sections, hand over the item to the receiving section, and travel along the second travel path to return to the supply section.

4. the first travel path includes a sorting section in which the receiving section group is arranged, the second travel route includes a straight section along which the transport vehicle travels straight, The article sorting facility according to claim 1 , wherein the sorting section and the straight-line section are formed in a straight line and are arranged parallel to each other.

5. 5. The article sorting equipment according to claim 1, further comprising a third lifting mechanism that is arranged to connect a position midway along the first travel path and a position midway along the second travel path and that raises and lowers the transport vehicle.

6. the first travel path includes a sorting section in which the receiving section group is arranged, the second travel route includes a straight section along which the transport vehicle travels straight, the third lifting mechanism is provided to connect a midpoint of the sorting section and a midpoint of the straight section, The item sorting equipment of claim 5, wherein each of the multiple transport vehicles is configured to, when transporting the item to the receiving section located closer to the starting end of the sorting section than the third lifting mechanism, hand over the item to the receiving section, then use the third lifting mechanism to move to the straight section, travel through the straight section, and return to the supply section.

7. the transport vehicle is equipped with a power storage device and is configured to travel using electric power from the power storage device; The article sorting facility according to claim 1 , wherein a charging unit for charging the power storage device of the transport vehicle is installed on the second floor.

8. A plurality of the first travel routes are set on the first floor, The plurality of first travel routes include a shared merging section, Each of the plurality of first travel paths includes a sorting section in which the receiving section group is arranged, The article sorting facility according to claim 1 , wherein the merging section is arranged to connect each of the plurality of sorting sections to the second lifting mechanism.

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