Conveyor transfer device

Abstract

To provide a turnabout conveyor device capable of stably converting the conveyance direction of a cargo.SOLUTION: There is provided a turnabout conveyor device (1) for converting the conveyance direction of a cargo conveyed by a carry-in conveyor into the conveyance direction of a carry-out conveyor, in which the turnabout conveyor device has: a first conveyance roller group (2) which is rotationally driven so as to convey the cargo in the conveyance direction of the carry-in conveyor; a second conveyance roller group (4) which is rotationally driven so as to convey the cargo in the conveyance direction of the carry-out conveyor; lifting drive mechanisms (14 and 16) for lifting / lowering the first conveyance roller group and / or the second conveyance roller group so that the cargo supported by the first conveyance roller group is supported by the second conveyance roller group; and a controller (18) for controlling the first conveyance roller group, the second conveyance roller group, and the lifting drive mechanism. The controller starts the elevation of the second conveyance roller group and / or the lowering of the first conveyance roller group by the lifting drive mechanism before stopping the rotational drive of the first conveyance roller group.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a diverting conveyor device, and more particularly to a diverting conveyor device for diverting the conveying direction of a load conveyed by an infeed conveyor to the conveying direction of a load conveyed by an unfeed conveyor. [Background technology]

[0002] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Publication No. 2018-145004 (Patent Document 1) describes a picking system and an automated warehouse system. In the automated warehouse system described therein, items are transported via multiple conveyors. The upstream carry-in conveyor and the downstream carry-out conveyor are arranged so that their transport directions are perpendicular to each other, and the items transported by the carry-in conveyor have their transport direction changed by 90 degrees by a switching conveyor before being transferred to the subsequent carry-out conveyor.

[0003] Specifically, the diverting conveyor is provided with alternating rollers for transporting articles in a first direction and rollers for transporting articles in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction. Furthermore, articles transported by the upstream conveyor are transported to a predetermined position on the diverting conveyor by the rollers transporting articles in the first direction, after which the rollers are stopped. Next, the rollers transporting articles in the second direction rise, so that the articles are supported by the raised rollers. Furthermore, by rotating the rollers transporting articles in the second direction, the articles on the diverting conveyor are moved in the second direction and transferred to the downstream discharge conveyor. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2018-145004 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] However, the switching conveyor provided in the automated warehouse system described in Patent Document 1 can encounter problems, depending on the characteristics of the items being transported. When changing the direction of transport, the rear end of the item may lift up, causing the transport to become unstable or the item to tip over. Specifically, with the switching conveyor described in Patent Document 1, when an item transported from an upstream infeed conveyor is moved in the same direction on the switching conveyor and then stopped to change direction, the inertial force acting on the item may cause the rear end of the item to lift up or the item to tip over. This problem is likely to occur when transporting items with a center of gravity biased toward the front or a high center of gravity. Specifically, due to its structure, the switching conveyor has wide roller spacing for transporting items. When an item stops to change direction, if the bottom edge of the item falls between adjacent rollers, the item may tilt significantly or tip over.

[0006] The present invention has been made to alleviate the above-mentioned problems, and has an object to provide a switching conveyor device that can stably switch the transport direction of luggage (articles). [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present invention provides a conversion conveyor device for converting the conveying direction of luggage transported by an infeed conveyor to the conveying direction of luggage by an unloading conveyor, the conversion conveyor device comprising: a first group of conveying rollers that is rotationally driven to transport luggage in the conveying direction of the infeed conveyor; a second group of conveying rollers that is rotationally driven to transport luggage in the conveying direction of the unloading conveyor; a lifting drive mechanism that raises and lowers the first group of conveying rollers and / or the second group of conveying rollers so that luggage supported by the first group of conveying rollers is supported by the second group of conveying rollers; and a controller that controls the first group of conveying rollers, the second group of conveying rollers, and the lifting drive mechanism, wherein the controller starts raising the second group of conveying rollers and / or lowering the first group of conveying rollers using the lifting drive mechanism before stopping the rotational drive of the first group of conveying rollers.

[0008] In the present invention configured as described above, an object conveyed by the carry-in conveyor is conveyed by the first conveying roller group on the diverting conveyor device in the conveying direction of the carry-in conveyor. The object is then supported by the second conveying roller group by operation of the lifting drive mechanism, and is conveyed by the second conveying roller group on the diverting conveyor device in the conveying direction of the unloading conveyor. When changing the conveying direction of the object, the controller starts raising the second conveying roller group and / or lowering the first conveying roller group by the lifting drive mechanism before stopping the rotational drive of the first conveying roller group.

[0009] According to the present invention configured as described above, when changing the transport direction of a package, the second group of transport rollers begins to rise or the first group of transport rollers begins to descend by the lifting mechanism before the rotational drive of the first group of transport rollers is stopped. Therefore, when the rotational drive of the first group of transport rollers is stopped, the heights of the first group of transport rollers and the second group of transport rollers are close to each other, and even if the package tilts, the tilt is suppressed by the second group of transport rollers. In other words, even if the package tilts due to inertial force when the rotational drive of the first group of transport rollers is stopped and the leading edge of the package's bottom attempts to fall between the first transport rollers, the leading edge of the package's bottom is supported by the second transport rollers, preventing the package from tilting significantly and stabilizing transport.

[0010] In the present invention, the controller preferably controls the lifting drive mechanism so that the lifting of the second conveying roller group and / or the lowering of the first conveying roller group is completed after the rotation of the first conveying roller group has completely stopped.

[0011] According to the present invention configured as described above, the lifting drive mechanism is controlled so that the lifting of the second conveyor roller group and / or the lowering of the first conveyor roller group is completed after the rotation of the first conveyor roller group has completely stopped. This prevents the second conveyor roller group from contacting the bottom surface of the package and interfering with the transport of the package while the first conveyor roller group is being rotated and transporting the package.

[0012] In the present invention, it is preferable that the device further includes a sensor that detects the luggage to be transported, and the controller controls the stopping of rotation of the first group of conveying rollers, and the raising of the second group of conveying rollers and / or the lowering of the first group of conveying rollers based on a single signal detected by the sensor.

[0013] According to the present invention configured in this manner, the stopping of rotation of the first conveying roller group, and the raising of the second conveying roller group and / or the lowering of the first conveying roller group are controlled based on a single signal detected by the sensor, which simplifies the input of signals from the sensor and the processing algorithm, thereby reducing the burden of control processing on the controller.

[0014] In the present invention, the controller is preferably configured to raise the second group of conveying rollers, and when raising the second group of conveying rollers, controls the lifting drive mechanism so that the second group of conveying rollers is stopped at a position lower than its completed raised position, and then raised to the completed raised position.

[0015] According to the present invention configured in this manner, the second group of conveyor rollers is temporarily stopped at a position lower than the lift-up completion position and then raised to the lift-up completion position, so that if the package tilts, the leading edge of the bottom of the package is supported by the second group of conveyor rollers, which are temporarily stopped at a position lower than the lift-up completion position. This makes it possible to prevent the package from tilting significantly without strictly managing the timing of when the first group of conveyor rollers stops and when the second group of conveyor rollers rises, and simplifies control by the controller. [Effects of the Invention]

[0016] According to the switching conveyor device of the present invention, the transport direction of the cargo can be stably switched. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0017] [Figure 1] 1 is a top view showing an example of a conveying device incorporating a diverting conveyor device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] 1 is a block diagram showing the overall configuration of a switching conveyor device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 3] 5 is a time chart showing an example of the operation of the switching conveyor device according to the embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4] 10A and 10B are diagrams illustrating the operation of a diverting conveyor device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 5] 10 is a time chart showing the operation of a conventional switching conveyor device according to a comparative example. [Figure 6] 1 is a diagram showing a schematic diagram of a state of a package being transported on a conventional diverting conveyor device. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0018] Next, a diverting conveyor device according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. Fig. 1 is a top view showing an example of a conveying device incorporating a switching conveyor device according to an embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 2 is a block diagram showing the overall configuration of a switching conveyor device according to an embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 3 is a time chart showing an example of the operation of a switching conveyor device according to an embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 4 is a diagram schematically showing the operation of a switching conveyor device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0019] As shown in FIG. 1, a switching conveyor device 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a first group of carrier wheels 2, a second group of carrier rollers 4, a first rotation drive mechanism 6 (FIG. 2) that rotates and drives each of the carrier wheels 2, and a second rotation drive mechanism 8 (FIG. 2) that rotates and drives each of the carrier rollers 4. The switching conveyor device 1 of this embodiment is configured to transport a package A conveyed in a first direction (horizontal direction in FIG. 1) by a conveyor 10 to a predetermined position on the switching conveyor device 1 by the carrier wheels 2, and then transport the package A in a second direction (vertical direction in FIG. 1) by the conveyor rollers 4 and send it to a conveyor 12. In this case, the conveyor 10 functions as an input conveyor, and the conveyor 12 functions as an output conveyor.

[0020] The switching conveyor device 1 of this embodiment can also be operated to change the conveying direction of the cargo A conveyed by the conveyor 12 and send it to the conveyor 10. In this case, the conveyor 12 functions as an infeed conveyor, the conveyor 10 functions as an unfeed conveyor, the plurality of conveying rollers 4 functions as a first group of conveying rollers, and the plurality of carrier wheels 2 functions as a second group of conveying rollers.

[0021] Each of the conveying rollers 4 constituting the second conveying roller group is a cylindrical roller rotatable about its central axis, and the conveying rollers 4 are arranged parallel to one another in the horizontal direction at a predetermined interval. In Fig. 1, the central axis of each of the conveying rollers 4 is oriented horizontally, so when each of the conveying rollers 4 is rotationally driven by the second rotation drive mechanism 8 (Fig. 2), the baggage A placed on the conveying roller 4 is conveyed in the vertical direction in Fig. 1.

[0022] Each carrier wheel 2 constituting the first conveying roller group is a disk-shaped member rotatable about its central axis, and is arranged in a row horizontally at a predetermined interval between the conveying rollers 4. The carrier wheels 2 in one row are offset by half a pitch from the carrier wheels 2 in the adjacent row, and the carrier wheels 2 are arranged in a checkerboard pattern overall. In FIG. 1, the central axis of each carrier wheel 2 is oriented vertically, so that when each carrier wheel 2 is rotationally driven by the first rotation drive mechanism 6 (FIG. 2), the cargo A placed on the carrier wheel 2 is conveyed horizontally in FIG. 1. That is, in this embodiment, the central axis of each conveying roller 4 and the central axis of each carrier wheel 2 are oriented at a right angle to each other.

[0023] In addition to the carrier wheels 2, conveying rollers 4, first rotation drive mechanism 6, and second rotation drive mechanism 8 described above, as shown in FIG. 2, the switching conveyor device 1 has a first lifting drive mechanism 14 which is a lifting drive mechanism that raises and lowers each carrier wheel 2, a second lifting drive mechanism 16 which is a lifting drive mechanism that raises and lowers each conveying roller 4, a controller 18, and a baggage sensor 20.

[0024] The first lifting drive mechanism 14 is a mechanism for raising and lowering each carrier wheel 2 up and down. At the transfer position, which is the position where each carrier wheel 2 has been raised by the first lifting drive mechanism 14 and is at the completed lifting position, cargo A placed on the switching conveyor device 1 is supported by the multiple carrier wheels 2. In this state, cargo A can be transferred in the horizontal direction in FIG. 1 by rotating each carrier wheel 2 using the first rotation drive mechanism 6. On the other hand, at the rest position where each carrier wheel 2 has been lowered by the first lifting drive mechanism 14, cargo A placed on the switching conveyor device 1 does not come into contact with each carrier wheel 2 but is supported by the multiple transfer rollers 4.

[0025] Next, the second lifting drive mechanism 16 is a mechanism that raises and lowers each of the conveying rollers 4. At the conveying position, which is the fully raised position where each of the conveying rollers 4 is raised by the second lifting drive mechanism 16, the cargo A placed on the switching conveyor device 1 is supported by the multiple conveying rollers 4. In this state, the second rotation drive mechanism 8 drives and rotates each of the conveying rollers 4, thereby allowing the cargo A to be conveyed in the vertical direction in FIG. 1. On the other hand, at the rest position where each of the conveying rollers 4 is lowered by the second lifting drive mechanism 16, the cargo A placed on the switching conveyor device 1 does not come into contact with each of the conveying rollers 4, but is supported by the multiple carrier wheels 2.

[0026] In this embodiment, the height of the upper end of each carrier wheel 2 raised to the conveying position by the first lifting drive mechanism 14 is set to be the same as the height of the upper end of each conveying roller 4 raised to the conveying position by the second lifting drive mechanism 16. Therefore, the height of the cargo A placed on the switching conveyor device 1 is maintained substantially constant.

[0027] The controller 18 is configured to operate the first rotation drive mechanism 6, the second rotation drive mechanism 8, the first lifting drive mechanism 14, and the second lifting drive mechanism 16 at a predetermined timing based on a detection signal from the baggage sensor 20. Specifically, the controller 18 is configured by a microprocessor, a memory, an interface circuit, software for operating these (all not shown), etc.

[0028] The baggage sensor 20 is a sensor provided to detect the advancement of a baggage from the conveyor 10 to the diverting conveyor device 1. As shown in FIG. 1 , in this embodiment, the baggage sensor 20 is configured as a photoelectric sensor disposed adjacent to the diverting conveyor device 1 and the conveyor 10, and is configured to emit a detection light 20a onto the boundary between the diverting conveyor device 1 and the conveyor 10. That is, the advancement of a baggage from the conveyor 10 to the diverting conveyor device 1 can be detected by the reflection of the detection light 20a by the baggage A conveyed from the conveyor 10. Note that, when baggage A conveyed from the conveyor 12 is changed direction and sent to the conveyor 10, a sensor must be provided to detect the advancement of the baggage from the conveyor 12 to the diverting conveyor device 1. Furthermore, although a photoelectric sensor is used as the baggage sensor 20 in this embodiment, any sensor capable of detecting the advancement of a baggage from the input conveyor to the diverting conveyor device 1 can be used as the baggage sensor 20.

[0029] Furthermore, when changing the conveying direction of package A conveyed by conveyor 10 and transferring it to conveyor 12, controller 18 first raises each carrier wheel 2 to the conveying position, stops the rotation of conveying rollers 4, and lowers them to the rest position. In this state, when package A is conveyed from conveyor 10, controller 18 starts driving each carrier wheel 2 to rotate. As a result, package A is supported by the multiple carrier wheels 2 and conveyed on the switching conveyor device 1 from left to right in FIG. 1.

[0030] Next, the controller 18 lowers each carrier wheel 2 to its rest position and raises each transport roller 4 to its transport position, so that the cargo A on the diverting conveyor device 1 is supported by each transport roller 4. By starting to rotate each transport roller 4 in this state, cargo A is transported from top to bottom in FIG. 1 on the diverting conveyor device 1 while being supported by the multiple transport rollers 4, and is sent out to the conveyor 12.

[0031] On the other hand, when changing the conveying direction of the package A conveyed by the conveyor 12 and transferring it to the conveyor 10, the controller 18 first raises each conveying roller 4 to the conveying position, stops the rotation of the carrier wheel 2, and lowers it to the rest position. In this state, when the package A is conveyed from the conveyor 12, the controller 18 starts driving the rotation of each conveying roller 4. As a result, the package A is supported by the multiple conveying rollers 4 and conveyed on the switching conveyor device 1 from bottom to top in FIG. 1.

[0032] Next, the controller 18 lowers each transport roller 4 to its rest position and raises each carrier wheel 2 to its transport position, so that the cargo A on the diverting conveyor device 1 is supported by each carrier wheel 2. By starting to rotate each carrier wheel 2 in this state, cargo A is transported on the diverting conveyor device 1 from right to left in FIG. 1 while being supported by the multiple carrier wheels 2, and is sent out onto the conveyor 10.

[0033] Next, the operation of the diverting conveyor device 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. Fig. 3 is a time chart showing an example of the operation of the switching conveyor device 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention, and shows, from the top to the bottom, control signals sent to the first rotation drive mechanism 6, the first lifting drive mechanism 14, the second rotation drive mechanism 8, and the second lifting drive mechanism 16. Fig. 4 is a diagram schematically showing the state of packages being transported on the switching conveyor device 1.

[0034] First, at time t0 in Figure 3, no cargo A is being transported from the conveyor 10 to the switching conveyor device 1. In this state, each carrier wheel 2 is raised to the transport position by the first lifting drive mechanism 14, while each transport roller 4 is lowered to the rest position by the second lifting drive mechanism 16. Furthermore, the rotation of each carrier wheel 2 and each transport roller 4 is stopped. In this embodiment, when raised to the transport position, the upper end of each carrier wheel 2 is at the same height as the upper ends of the transport rollers that make up the conveyor 10, allowing cargo A to be smoothly received from the conveyor 10.

[0035] Next, at time t1, when the baggage sensor 20 detects that baggage A has advanced from the conveyor 10 onto the diverting conveyor device 1 (when the leading edge of baggage A from the conveyor 10 advances onto the diverting conveyor device 1), the controller 18 sends a control signal to the first rotation drive mechanism 6 to start rotating each carrier wheel 2. As a result, as shown in column (a) of Figure 4, baggage A transported from the conveyor 10 is transported by the multiple carrier wheels 2 on the diverting conveyor device 1 from left to right in Figure 4.

[0036] Next, at time t2 after the first predetermined time T1 has elapsed from time t1, the controller 18 sends a control signal to the first lifting drive mechanism 14 to start lowering each carrier wheel 2 to its rest position. Also, at time t2, the controller 18 sends a control signal to the second lifting drive mechanism 16 to start raising each conveying roller 4 to its conveying position. The first predetermined time T1 can be set appropriately depending on the conveying speed of the package A by the carrier wheel 2, the size of the package A expected to be conveyed by the switching conveyor device 1, etc.

[0037] Furthermore, at time t3, after the second predetermined time T2 has elapsed since time t2, the controller 18 sends a control signal to the first rotation drive mechanism 6 to stop the rotation of each carrier wheel 2. In this embodiment, the second predetermined time T2 is set to approximately 10 msec. This second predetermined time T2 can be set appropriately depending on the response characteristics of the first rotation drive mechanism 6 and the first and second lifting drive mechanisms, and is preferably set to approximately 5 to 20 msec. When the rotation of each carrier wheel 2 is stopped, an inertial force acts on the package A, tending to tip it forward in the conveyance direction, due to the inertia of the package A being conveyed by the carrier wheel 2. This force may cause the rear bottom of the package A to lift up, as shown in FIG. 4(b). This phenomenon is likely to occur when conveying a package A with a high center of gravity or a package A with a center of gravity shifted forward in the conveyance direction. Furthermore, this phenomenon is exacerbated when the tip of cargo A is positioned between adjacent carrier wheels 2 at the time the rotational drive of each carrier wheel 2 is stopped, as the tip of the bottom of cargo A falls between the adjacent carrier wheels 2.

[0038] In contrast, according to the switching conveyor device 1 of this embodiment, the second lifting drive mechanism 16 starts to lift each transport roller 4 toward the transport position before time t3 when the rotational drive of each carrier wheel 2 is stopped. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 4(b), when the rotational drive of each carrier wheel 2 is stopped, each transport roller 4 has already risen to the vicinity of the transport position (position where lifting is completed). As a result, when the leading edge of the bottom of package A attempts to fall between adjacent carrier wheels 2, the leading edge of the bottom of package A is supported by the transport roller 4 that has risen, preventing package A from tipping over.

[0039] In this embodiment, a control signal is sent to the second lifting drive mechanism 16 at time t2, but the conveying rollers 4 complete their ascent and actually come into contact with the bottom surface of the package A only after the rotation of each carrier wheel 2 has stopped at time t3. Therefore, while the carrier wheels 2 are rotating to convey the package A, the conveying rollers 4 do not come into contact with the bottom surface of the package A and interfere with the conveyance of the package A. The second predetermined time T2 between time t2 and time t3 can be adjusted as appropriate depending on the state of the package A being conveyed. The present invention can also be configured so that the conveying rollers 4 that have risen come into contact with the bottom surface of the package A before the rotation of each carrier wheel 2 is stopped at time t3.

[0040] Next, when each carrier wheel 2 has descended to its rest position and each conveying roller 4 has ascended to its conveying position, package A is supported only by the conveying rollers 4, as shown in section (c) of FIG. 4. After the state shown in section (c) of FIG. 4 is reached, at time t4, the controller 18 sends a control signal to the second rotation drive mechanism 8 to start rotating the conveying rollers 4. As a result, package A is conveyed toward the front side of FIG. 4 (downward in FIG. 1) and sent out onto the conveyor 12. In this embodiment, when raised to the conveying position, the upper ends of each conveying roller 4 are at the same height as the upper ends of the other conveying rollers that make up the conveyor 12, allowing package A to be smoothly sent out onto the conveyor 12.

[0041] After package A has been sent onto the conveyor 12, at time t5 the controller 18 sends a control signal to the second rotation drive mechanism 8 to stop the rotation of the conveying rollers 4. After time t5, at time t6 the controller 18 sends control signals to the first lifting drive mechanism 14 and the second lifting drive mechanism 16 to raise the carrier wheel 2 to the conveying position and lower the conveying rollers 4 to the rest position. This returns the diverting conveyor device 1 to the state it was in at time t0.

[0042] Furthermore, after time t6, when the baggage sensor 20 detects the advancement of baggage A from the conveyor 10, the controller 18 executes the same process as that performed after time t1 in FIG. 3 , changes the direction of baggage A conveyed from the conveyor 10, and sends it out to the conveyor 12. In this embodiment, after time t1, the controller 18 outputs control signals from time t2 to t6, which are predetermined times after time t1 as the base point, to control the first rotation drive mechanism 6, the second rotation drive mechanism 8, the first lift drive mechanism 14, and the second lift drive mechanism 16, respectively. In this way, in this embodiment, the controller 18 controls the stopping of the carrier wheel 2, the lifting of the conveyor rollers 4, etc., based on a single signal detected by the baggage sensor 20.

[0043] On the other hand, the diverting conveyor device 1 of this embodiment can also be operated to change the direction of a package A conveyed from the conveyor 12 and send it to the conveyor 10. In this case, the timing of rotational drive and elevation is reversed between the carrier wheel 2 and the conveyor rollers 4. That is, in this case, the first rotational drive mechanism 6 in FIG. 3 rotates and stops the conveyor rollers 4, and the first elevation drive mechanism 14 elevates the conveyor rollers 4. Also, the second rotational drive mechanism 8 in FIG. 3 rotates and stops the carrier wheel 2, and the first elevation drive mechanism 14 elevates the carrier wheel 2. Furthermore, in this case, the conveyor 12 functions as an infeed conveyor, the conveyor rollers 4 function as a first group of conveyor rollers, the conveyor 10 functions as an outfeed conveyor, and the carrier wheel 2 function as a second group of conveyor rollers. The package sensor 20 is positioned to detect the advance of package A from the conveyor 12 to the diverting conveyor device 1.

[0044] Next, the operation of a conventional diverting conveyor device will be described as a comparative example with reference to FIGS. Fig. 5 is a time chart showing the operation of a conventional switching conveyor according to a comparative example, showing, from the top, the control signals sent to the first rotation drive mechanism 6, the first lifting drive mechanism 14, the second rotation drive mechanism 8, and the second lifting drive mechanism 16. Fig. 6 is a diagram schematically showing the state of packages being transported on the conventional switching conveyor.

[0045] Time t in Figure 5 10 The state of the conventional diverting conveyor device at time t is similar to the state of the diverting conveyor device 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention at time t in FIG. 11 When the advance of the cargo A onto the switching conveyor is detected, the first rotation drive mechanism 6 starts to rotate the carrier wheel 2. As a result, the cargo A is transported on the switching conveyor, as shown in (a) of FIG. 6. Furthermore, in the conventional switching conveyor, after the carrier wheel 2 is rotated for a predetermined time, at time t 12 At this point, the rotation of the carrier wheel 2 is stopped.

[0046] As a result, an inertial force acts on the cargo A, tending to tip it forward in the conveying direction. At this time, in the conventional switching conveyor device, the conveying rollers 4 are lowered to the rest position as shown in (b) of Figure 6. Therefore, when the leading edge of the cargo A is positioned between the carrier wheels 2, the leading edge of the bottom of the cargo A falls significantly between the carrier wheels 2, which may cause the cargo A to tilt more significantly or even to fall over. Furthermore, in the conventional switching conveyor device, after the rotation of the carrier wheels 2 has stopped, at time t 13 At time t 14 6, the conveying rollers 4 start to be rotated, and the conveying rollers 4 convey the package A as shown in FIG. 6(c).

[0047] According to the switching conveyor device 1 of the embodiment of the present invention, when the conveying direction of the package A is changed, the second lifting / lowering mechanism 16 starts raising the second conveying roller group (conveying roller 4) and the first lifting / lowering mechanism 14 starts lowering the first conveying roller group (carrier wheel 2) before the rotational drive of the first conveying roller group (carrier wheel 2) is stopped (time t3 in FIG. 3 ). Therefore, when the rotational drive of the first conveying roller group is stopped, the heights of the first conveying roller group and the second conveying roller group are close to each other, and even if the package tilts, the second conveying roller group suppresses the tilt. That is, even if the package A tilts due to inertial force when the rotational drive of the first conveying roller group is stopped (time t3 in FIG. 3 ) and the leading edge of the package A attempts to fall between the first conveying rollers, the leading edge of the package A's bottom surface is supported by the second conveying rollers (section (b) in FIG. 4 ), preventing the package A from tilting significantly and stabilizing conveyance.

[0048] Furthermore, according to the switching conveyor device 1 of this embodiment, the first lifting / lowering drive mechanism 14 and the second lifting / lowering drive mechanism 16 are controlled so that the lifting of the second conveying roller group (conveying roller 4) and the lowering of the first conveying roller group (carrier wheel 2) are completed after the rotation of the first conveying roller group (carrier wheel 2) has completely stopped. Therefore, while the first conveying roller group is driven to rotate and a package is being conveyed, it is possible to prevent the second conveying roller group from contacting the bottom surface of the package and interfering with the conveyance of the package.

[0049] Furthermore, according to the switching conveyor device 1 of this embodiment, the stopping of rotation of the first conveying roller group (carrier wheel 2) (time t3 in Figure 3), and the raising and lowering of the first conveying roller group (carrier wheel 2) (time t2 in Figure 3) are controlled based on a single signal detected by the luggage sensor 20, so the input of the signal from the luggage sensor 20 and the processing algorithm can be simplified, and the burden of control processing by the controller 18 can be reduced.

[0050] Although the embodiment of the present invention has been described above, various modifications can be made to the above-described embodiment. In particular, in the above-described embodiment, the first lifting / lowering drive mechanism 14 and the second lifting / lowering drive mechanism 16 are provided as lifting / lowering drive mechanisms, and both the first conveying roller group (carrier wheel 2) and the second conveying roller group (conveying rollers 4) are configured to be able to move up and down. However, as a modification, either the first lifting / lowering drive mechanism 14 or the second lifting / lowering drive mechanism 16 can be omitted.

[0051] For example, if the first lifting / lowering drive mechanism 14 is omitted, when the package A is conveyed to a predetermined position on the switching conveyor device 1 by the first conveying roller group (carrier wheel 2), the second lifting / lowering drive mechanism 16 is activated to raise the second conveying roller group (conveying roller 4) to a position higher than the first conveying roller group (carrier wheel 2). As a result, the package A is supported by the second conveying roller group, and the package A can be conveyed by the second conveying roller group. On the other hand, if the second lifting / lowering drive mechanism 16 is omitted, when the package A is conveyed to a predetermined position on the switching conveyor device 1 by the first conveying roller group (carrier wheel 2), the first lifting / lowering drive mechanism 14 is activated to lower the first conveying roller group (carrier wheel 2) to a position lower than the second conveying roller group (conveying roller 4). As a result, the package A is supported by the second conveying roller group, and the package A can be conveyed by the second conveying roller group.

[0052] In the above-described embodiment, the controller 18 controls the second lifting drive mechanism 16 so that each of the conveying rollers 4 (second conveying roller group) is lifted from the rest position to the conveying position (lifted position) in one go. Alternatively, as a modified example, the second lifting drive mechanism 16 can be controlled so that when each of the conveying rollers 4 is lifted, the conveying rollers 4 are temporarily stopped at a position lower than the lifted position and then lifted to the lifted position. According to this modified example, if the package A tilts due to stopping the rotation of the carrier wheel 2 (first conveying roller group), the leading edge of the bottom of the package A is supported by the conveying rollers 4 that are temporarily stopped at a position lower than the lifted position. This prevents the leading edge of the bottom of the package A from dropping significantly between the carrier wheels 2, thereby preventing the package A from tilting significantly. Furthermore, by temporarily stopping the conveying rollers 4 at a position lower than the lifted position, the leading edge of the bottom of the package A can be prevented from dropping without strictly controlling the timing at which the conveying rollers 4 are lifted, thereby simplifying the control by the controller 18.

[0053] The present invention can be configured by appropriately applying the control of the second lifting drive mechanism 16 according to the above-described modified example to the switching conveyor device 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention. For example, the switching conveyor device of the present invention can also be configured as follows. A switching conveyor device for switching the transport direction of luggage transported by an infeed conveyor to the transport direction of luggage by an unloading conveyor, the switching conveyor device comprising: a first group of transport rollers that are rotationally driven to transport the luggage in the transport direction of the infeed conveyor; a second group of transport rollers that are rotationally driven to transport the luggage in the transport direction of the unloading conveyor; an elevation drive mechanism that raises and lowers the first group of transport rollers and / or the second group of transport rollers so that the luggage supported by the first group of transport rollers is now supported by the second group of transport rollers; and a controller that controls the first group of transport rollers, the second group of transport rollers, and the elevation drive mechanism, wherein the controller starts raising the second group of transport rollers and / or lowering the first group of transport rollers by the elevation drive mechanism before stopping the rotation drive of the first group of transport rollers; The system further includes a sensor for detecting the load to be conveyed, and the controller controls the stopping of rotation of the first conveying roller group, and the raising of the second conveying roller group and / or the lowering of the first conveying roller group based on a single signal detected by the sensor. The controller is configured to raise the second group of conveying rollers, and controls the lifting drive mechanism so that, when raising the second group of conveying rollers, the second group of conveying rollers is stopped at a position lower than its completed raised position, and then raised to the completed raised position. [Explanation of symbols]

[0054] 1. Conversion conveyor device 2 Carrier wheel (first conveyor roller group) 4 Conveyor rollers (second conveyor roller group) 6. First rotation drive mechanism 8 Second rotation drive mechanism 10 Conveyor 12 Conveyor 14 First lifting drive mechanism (lifting drive mechanism) 16 Second lifting drive mechanism (lifting drive mechanism) 18 Controller 20 Luggage Sensor 20a Detection light

Claims

1. A switching conveyor device for switching the direction of transport of luggage carried by a carry-in conveyor to the direction of transport of luggage by a carry-out conveyor, a first conveying roller group that is rotationally driven to convey the load in the conveying direction of the carry-in conveyor; a second group of conveying rollers that are rotationally driven to convey the load in the conveying direction of the discharge conveyor; an elevation drive mechanism that raises and lowers the first group of conveying rollers and / or the second group of conveying rollers so that the load supported by the first group of conveying rollers is supported by the second group of conveying rollers; a controller that controls the first conveying roller group, the second conveying roller group, and the lifting drive mechanism; and The controller causes the lifting drive mechanism to start raising the second group of conveying rollers and / or lowering the first group of conveying rollers before stopping the rotational drive of the first group of conveying rollers.

2. 2. The switching conveyor device according to claim 1, wherein the controller controls the lifting drive mechanism so that the lifting of the second conveying roller group and / or the lowering of the first conveying roller group is completed after the rotation of the first conveying roller group has completely stopped.

3. 3. The diverting conveyor device according to claim 1, further comprising a sensor for detecting a load to be transported, and the controller controls the stopping of rotation of the first group of transport rollers, and the raising of the second group of transport rollers and / or the lowering of the first group of transport rollers based on a single signal detected by the sensor.

4. 3. The switching conveyor device according to claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to raise the second group of conveying rollers, and controls the lifting drive mechanism so that, when raising the second group of conveying rollers, the second group of conveying rollers is stopped at a position lower than its completed raised position, and then raised to the completed raised position.

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