Goods handling equipment

Abstract

A simple and efficient goods handling system is desired that can smoothly transfer goods from a transport vehicle to a conveyor belt. [Solution] This is an article conveying system in which the first conveyor 11 is positioned on the upstream side X1 in the conveying direction relative to the second conveyor 12 and is inclined downward as it approaches the upstream side X1 in the conveying direction, the second conveyor 12 is positioned along a horizontal plane, and the support section 3 comprises a plurality of support members 4 that are spaced apart in the width direction Y in the handover travel state and contact the bottom surface of the article W, the lower surface of the second conveyor 12 is positioned above the contact surfaces 5 of the plurality of support members 4 that contact the bottom surface of the article W, the end of the first conveyor 11 on the upstream side X1 in the conveying direction is positioned below the contact surfaces 5 of the support members 4, and each of the plurality of support members 4 is positioned offset in the width direction Y relative to the first conveyor 11 in the handover travel state.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to article conveying equipment.

Background Art

[0002] For example, Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open No. 48-086575 (Patent Document 1) discloses a technology related to article conveying equipment. Hereinafter, the reference numerals shown in parentheses in the description of the background art are those of Patent Document 1.

[0003] The article conveying equipment of Patent Document 1 includes a conveying vehicle (cart 2) for placing and conveying an article (cargo 6), a first conveyor (conveyors 5 and 12) for conveying the article delivered from the conveying vehicle, and a second conveyor (conveyor 10) adjacent to the downstream side in the article conveying direction with respect to the first conveyor. The conveying vehicle travels with the article placed on the vehicle body. The first conveyor is inclined downward as it goes upstream in the article conveying direction. The first conveyor receives the article from the conveying vehicle and conveys it toward the second conveyor.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] In the article transport equipment described in Patent Document 1, the first conveyor is configured to have a pair of rollers at its front end, or to have a pair of belt conveyors, so that articles can be smoothly transferred from the transport vehicle to the first conveyor. These pairs of rollers or belt conveyors are positioned on the outside in the width direction of the transport vehicle while it is moving. This avoids interference between the transport vehicle that is transferring articles and the first conveyor. However, in such article transport equipment, the configuration of the conveyor must be matched to the configuration of the transport vehicle, which tends to make the conveyor configuration complex.

[0006] Therefore, there is a need for a simple goods handling system that can smoothly transfer goods from a transport vehicle to a conveyor. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The article conveying equipment relating to this disclosure comprises a first conveyor and a second conveyor that convey articles along the conveying direction, An article transporting system comprising: a transport vehicle equipped with a support portion for supporting the article from below; The upstream side in the aforementioned transport direction is defined as the upstream side in the transport direction, the opposite side as the downstream side in the transport direction, and the direction perpendicular to the transport direction in a vertical view along the vertical direction is defined as the width direction. The first conveyor is positioned upstream of the second conveyor in the conveying direction, and is inclined downwards as it approaches the upstream side in the conveying direction, and is configured to convey the articles toward the second conveyor. The second conveyor is arranged along a horizontal plane, In order to transfer the article supported by the support to the first conveyor, the state of the transport vehicle traveling toward the first conveyor from the upstream side in the transport direction relative to the first conveyor is defined as the transfer travel state. The support portion comprises a plurality of support bodies that are spaced apart in the width direction and in contact with the bottom surface of the article during the delivery and travel state. The lower surface of the second conveyor is positioned above the contact surface that contacts the bottom surface of the article in the plurality of supports. The upstream end of the first conveyor in the conveying direction is positioned below the contact surface of the support, Each of the multiple support members is positioned in the delivery travel state at a location offset in the width direction relative to the first conveyor.

[0008] In this configuration, when a transport vehicle, with the bottom surface of an item supported by multiple supports, travels toward the first conveyor from the upstream side in the transport direction, the item is appropriately transferred from the multiple supports to the first conveyor and then transported to the second conveyor. At this time, even if these supports do not provide a driving force to transfer the item to the first conveyor, the item is transported by the driving force of the first conveyor simply by the item making contact with the first conveyor. Furthermore, when transferring the item to the first conveyor, the multiple supports are positioned offset in the width direction relative to the first conveyor, so that the bottom surface of the item on the supports makes appropriate contact with the first conveyor. Therefore, the supports on the transport vehicle side can be made simple in configuration, and the item can be stably supported while being transferred to the first conveyor. Moreover, there is no need to provide the first conveyor with any special devices or components for receiving items from the multiple supports. Therefore, the overall configuration of the equipment can be easily simplified. Furthermore, with this configuration, since the underside of the second conveyor is positioned above the contact surfaces of the multiple support structures, the transport vehicle can easily pass under the second conveyor after transferring goods to the first conveyor. Therefore, it is easier to ensure the freedom of movement of the transport vehicle. Thus, with this configuration, goods can be smoothly transferred from the transport vehicle to the conveyor with a simple setup.

[0009] Further features and advantages of the material handling equipment will become clear from the following description of exemplary and non-limiting embodiments, which will be illustrated with reference to the drawings. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0010] [Figure 1] A schematic side view showing the driving state of the transport vehicle. [Figure 2]A schematic side view showing the driving state of the transport vehicle in another embodiment. [Figure 3] Control block diagram [Figure 4] A schematic plan view showing the arrangement of the support section of the transport vehicle, the first conveyor, the second conveyor, and the guide members. [Figure 5] A schematic plan view showing the arrangement of the first conveyor (downstream conveyor section), the second conveyor, and the guide members in another embodiment. [Figure 6] A schematic side view showing a transport vehicle in another embodiment. [Figure 7] A schematic side view showing the arrangement of the first and second conveyors, and the arrangement of the third and fourth conveyors. [Figure 8] A schematic plan view showing the arrangement of the support section of the transport vehicle and the third conveyor. [Figure 9] A schematic plan view showing a guide member in another embodiment. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0011] The following describes an embodiment of the goods transport equipment based on the drawings.

[0012] As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the article conveying equipment 1 comprises a first conveyor 11 and a second conveyor 12 that convey articles W along the conveying direction X, and a transport vehicle 2 equipped with a support part 3 that supports articles W from below. In this embodiment, articles W supported by the support part 3 of the transport vehicle 2 are handed over to the first conveyor 11, and then conveyed from the first conveyor 11 to the second conveyor 12. In the following description, the upstream side of the conveying direction X will be referred to as the upstream side X1, the opposite side as the downstream side X2, and the direction perpendicular to the conveying direction X in a vertical view along the vertical direction will be referred to as the width direction Y. The first conveyor 11 is positioned on the upstream side X1 of the conveying direction relative to the second conveyor 12. In this embodiment, the first conveyor 11 is positioned adjacent to the second conveyor 12. The article conveying equipment 1 also further comprises a third conveyor 9 that conveys articles W along the conveying direction X. The third conveyor 9 is positioned downstream X2 in the transport direction relative to the second conveyor 12. In this embodiment, articles W, which are handed over from the first conveyor 11 and move along the transport direction X on the second conveyor 12, are handed over from the second conveyor 12 to the third conveyor 9. These conveyors are arranged in the order of first conveyor 11, second conveyor 12, and third conveyor 9, from the upstream side X1 in the transport direction to the downstream side X2 in the transport direction. In this example, as shown in Figures 1 and 2, the travel path of the transport vehicle 2 that travels to transfer articles W between the first conveyor 11 and the third conveyor 9 is set along the transport direction X. The article transport equipment 1 is equipped with multiple transport vehicles 2.

[0013] The second conveyor 12 is arranged along the horizontal plane. In the present embodiment, the second conveyor 12 is arranged along the horizontal plane and along the conveying direction X. Here, "arranged along the horizontal plane" includes being arranged parallel to the horizontal plane and also being arranged with a slight inclination (for example, a plane with an inclination angle of about 1 to 2 degrees) with respect to the horizontal plane. On the second conveyor 12, for example, operations on the article W being conveyed may be performed, or the transfer of the article W may be performed between the second conveyor 12 and other conveying devices (such as a stacker crane). Examples of operations on the article W being conveyed include picking operations on the article W when the article W is a container (carton container, oricon, etc.). Also, examples of cases where the transfer of the article W is performed between the second conveyor 12 and other conveying devices as described above include an automated warehouse where the other conveying device further performs the transfer of the article W between the article storage shelf. In the examples of FIGS. 1 and 2, the second conveyor 12 is a roller conveyor, but it is not limited to this. The second conveyor 12 may be a conveyor other than a roller conveyor, such as a belt conveyor or a chain conveyor. In the present embodiment, the conveying surface (upper surface) of the article W on the second conveyor 12 is arranged above the first conveyor 11 and the third conveyor 9. Also, the lower surface of the second conveyor 12 is arranged above the upper end of the conveying vehicle 2. In this example, at both ends in the width direction Y of the second conveyor 12, first guide members 71 are provided for guiding the article W in the conveying direction X and for preventing the article W from falling off the second conveyor 12.

[0014] In this embodiment, the first conveyor 11, the second conveyor 12, and the third conveyor 9 are all roller conveyors, but the embodiment is not limited to this. These conveyors may be other types of conveyors, such as belt conveyors or chain conveyors. Furthermore, some of the first conveyor 11, the second conveyor 12, and the third conveyor 9 may be of a different type from the others, or they may all be of the same type. In the case of a roller conveyor, the lower surface 10 of the second conveyor 12 is a hypothetical surface formed by connecting the lower ends of multiple rollers. In Figures 1 and 2, a portion of the lower surface 10 of the second conveyor 12 is shown with a dashed line. In these conveyors, the conveying surface that transports items on the roller conveyor is a hypothetical surface formed by connecting the upper ends of multiple rollers.

[0015] As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the first conveyor 11 is positioned upstream X1 in the conveying direction relative to the second conveyor 12, and is inclined downwards as it approaches the upstream X1 in the conveying direction, and is configured to convey articles W toward the second conveyor 12. In this embodiment, the first conveyor 11 comprises an upstream conveyor section 6 and a downstream conveyor section 7 positioned downstream X2 in the conveying direction relative to the upstream conveyor section 6. The upstream conveyor section 6 is adjacent to the downstream conveyor section 7 and conveys articles W toward the downstream conveyor section 7. As shown in Figure 7, the inclination angle of the upstream conveyor section 6 (first inclination angle θ1) is smaller than the inclination angle of the downstream conveyor section 7 (second inclination angle θ2). Thus, the upstream conveyor section 6 is inclined more gently than the downstream conveyor section 7. The downstream end X2 of the downstream conveyor section 7 is adjacent to the upstream end X1 of the second conveyor 12 in the conveying direction. In the example in Figure 1, the upstream conveyor section 6 and the downstream conveyor section 7 each contain one conveyor, but they may contain multiple conveyors. In the example in Figure 2, the upstream conveyor section 6 contains one conveyor, while the downstream conveyor section 7 contains multiple (two in this case) conveyors. Thus, the number of conveyors included in the upstream conveyor section 6 and the downstream conveyor section 7 can be appropriately changed according to, for example, the height of the second conveyor 12 or the length of the path for transporting the goods W. Note that the upstream conveyor section 6 does not necessarily need to be inclined and may be arranged in a position along a horizontal plane.

[0016] The third conveyor 9 is arranged on the downstream side X2 in the conveying direction with respect to the second conveyor 12, and is inclined so as to go downward as it goes toward the downstream side X2 in the conveying direction. It is configured to receive the article W from the second conveyor 12 and convey it toward the downstream side X2 in the conveying direction. In the present embodiment, the third conveyor 9 includes a conveying conveyor section 91 and a delivery conveyor section 92 arranged on the downstream side X2 in the conveying direction with respect to the conveying conveyor section 91. The conveying conveyor section 91 is adjacent to the delivery conveyor section 92 and conveys the article W received from the second conveyor 12 toward the delivery conveyor section 92. As shown in FIG. 7, the inclination angle (the fourth inclination angle θ4) of the delivery conveyor section 92 is smaller than the inclination angle (the third inclination angle θ3) of the conveying conveyor section 91. Thus, the delivery conveyor section 92 is inclined more gently than the conveying conveyor section 91. Thereby, regardless of the size of the article W, the delivery of the article W from the third conveyor 9 to the transport vehicle 2 can be smoothly performed. Also, even when the second conveyor 12 is arranged at a relatively high position, the second conveyor 12 and the delivery conveyor section 92 can be connected with a conveyance distance as short as possible. In this example, the fourth inclination angle θ4 is an angle approximately the same as the first inclination angle θ1. Also, the third inclination angle θ3 is an angle approximately the same as the second inclination angle θ2. Here, the range of "approximately the same" includes values with an error of, for example, 1 to 2% in addition to the same value. Note that these inclination angles may be different from each other. For example, the third conveyor 9 may be inclined more gently as a whole compared to the first conveyor 11, or may be inclined steeply. Note that the delivery conveyor section 92 does not necessarily have to be inclined and may be arranged in a posture along a horizontal plane.

[0017] The transport vehicle 2 is equipped with a trolley 22 that travels on the floor. The trolley 22 is equipped with a plurality of wheels 23 that roll on the floor and a drive device (not shown) that drives one or more of the wheels 23. The trolley 22 supports the support section 3 from below. In this example, the transport vehicle 2 is an autonomous transport vehicle (here, a trackless trolley) that travels on the floor. The transport vehicle 2 may also be a tracked trolley that travels guided by rails laid on the floor. In the following, in order to transfer the item W supported on the support section 3 to the first conveyor 11, the state of the transport vehicle 2 traveling from the upstream side X1 in the transport direction toward the first conveyor 11 will be referred to as the transfer travel state. Also, in order to receive the item W supported on the third conveyor 9, the state of the transport vehicle 2 traveling from the upstream side X1 in the transport direction toward the third conveyor 9 will be referred to as the receiving travel state. In this example, when the transport vehicle 2 delivers the item W to the first conveyor 11 in the handover state, it enters the receiving state. In the receiving state, the transport vehicle 2 travels below the second conveyor 12 and then travels to receive the item W from the third conveyor 9.

[0018] As shown in Figure 4, the support section 3 comprises a plurality of support members 4 that are spaced apart in the width direction Y and in contact with the bottom surface of the article W when in the handover travel state. The plurality of support members 4 are members aligned along the transport direction X. The article W is supported from below by the plurality of support members 4 that are spaced apart from each other in the width direction Y. In this embodiment, the support section 3 comprises a pair of support members 4 that are spaced apart in the width direction Y. Therefore, the article W is supported by a pair of support members 4 that are spaced apart in the width direction Y. In the example of Figure 6, the pair of support members 4 are spaced apart vertically from the traveling trolley 22. Here, the pair of support members 4 are each supported from below by different support members 24. These support members 24 are erected from the top surface of the traveling trolley 22. In the illustrated example, the plurality of support members 24 are spaced apart in the transport direction X and the width direction Y. This configuration creates a space between the pair of support bodies 4 and the multiple support members 24 in the width direction Y, allowing the first conveyor 11 and the third conveyor 9 to pass through relative to each other during the handover process. In addition, in the example shown in Figure 4, second guide members 19 are erected at one end and the other end of the pair of support bodies 4 in the width direction Y to prevent the items W being transported from falling.

[0019] As shown in Figure 4, each of the multiple support members 4 is positioned offset in the width direction Y relative to the first conveyor 11 during the handover journey. In this embodiment, the pair of support members 4 in the handover journey are positioned outside the first conveyor 11 in the width direction Y. Here, the distance P (distance in the width direction Y) between the pair of support members 4 is greater than the width direction Y dimension R of the first conveyor 11. Also, the distance P between the pair of support members 4 in the handover journey is smaller than the width direction Y dimension S of the second conveyor 12. Furthermore, the width direction Y dimension Q (distance to both ends in the width direction Y) of the pair of support members 4 in the handover journey is greater than the width direction Y dimension R of the first conveyor 11. Also, the width direction Y dimension R of the first conveyor 11 is smaller than the width direction Y dimension S of the second conveyor 12.

[0020] As shown in Figure 8, each of the multiple support members 4 is positioned offset in the width direction Y relative to the third conveyor 9 when in the receiving and traveling state. Specifically, a pair of support members 4 in the receiving and traveling state are positioned outside the third conveyor 9 in the width direction Y. Here, the distance P (distance in the width direction Y) between the pair of support members 4 is greater than the width direction Y dimension T of the third conveyor 9. Also, the width direction Y dimension Q of the pair of support members 4 in the receiving and traveling state is greater than the width direction Y dimension T of the third conveyor 9. Furthermore, the width direction Y dimension T of the third conveyor 9 is smaller than the width direction Y dimension S of the second conveyor 12.

[0021] As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the lower surface 10 of the second conveyor 12 is positioned above the contact surface 5 that contacts the bottom surface of the article W on the multiple support members 4 (in this case, a pair of support members 4). In the illustrated example, the lower end of the second conveyor 12, which is a roller conveyor (the lower end of the member supporting the roller), is also positioned above the contact surface 5 of the pair of support members 4. Furthermore, the upstream end X1 in the conveying direction of the first conveyor 11 is positioned below the contact surface 5 on the support members 4. In this embodiment, the upstream end X1 in the conveying direction of the upstream conveyor section 6 of the first conveyor 11 is positioned below the contact surface 5. In the illustrated example, the upstream end X1 in the conveying direction of the downstream conveyor section 7 of the first conveyor 11 is also positioned below the contact surface 5. And the downstream end X2 in the conveying direction of the downstream conveyor section 7 is positioned above the contact surface 5.

[0022] Furthermore, the downstream end X2 of the third conveyor 9 in the transport direction is positioned below the contact surface 5 on the support 4. In this embodiment, the downstream end X2 of the transfer conveyor section 92 of the third conveyor 9 in the transport direction is positioned below the contact surface 5. In the illustrated example, the upstream end X1 of the transfer conveyor section 92 of the third conveyor 9 in the transport direction is positioned above the contact surface 5.

[0023] In this embodiment, as shown in Figures 1, 2, and 4, the transport vehicle 2 is equipped with a restricting section 15 that restricts the movement of articles W supported by a plurality of support bodies 4 toward the downstream side X2 in the transport direction when the vehicle is receiving and traveling. In this example, the restricting section 15 is located at the end region of the downstream side X2 in the transport direction of a pair of support bodies 4. The restricting section 15 is equipped with a plurality (here, a pair) of restricting members 15a. The restricting members 15a are supported by each of the plurality (here, a pair) of support bodies 4. In this example, the restricting members 15a are members that stand upright from the contact surface 5 of the support bodies 4. As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the restricting members 15a are provided so as to be located below the lower surface of the second conveyor 12. In this example, the restricting members 15a are provided so as to be located below the lower end of the second conveyor 12.

[0024] In the examples of Figures 1 and 2, the multiple support members 4 (a pair of support members 4) are arranged in a position along the horizontal plane. Therefore, the contact surface 5 that contacts the bottom surface of the article W is also formed along the horizontal plane. On the other hand, as shown in Figure 6, the multiple support members 4 (in this case, a pair) can also be configured to be inclined downwards as they move toward the downstream side X2 in the transport direction when receiving and traveling. In this example, the contact surface 5 is also inclined downwards as they move toward the downstream side X2 in the transport direction. In this case, the inclination angle of the support members 4 can be about the same as the inclination angle of the third conveyor 9 (in this case, the handover conveyor section 92). Alternatively, these inclination angles may be different from each other. Furthermore, in the example of Figure 6, the transport vehicle 2 is further equipped with a receiving guide section 18 that is inclined downwards as it moves toward the upstream side X1 in the transport direction when receiving and traveling. The receiving guide section 18 is provided on each of the pair of support members 4. Here, the receiving guide section 18 is provided so as to extend from the upstream end X1 in the transport direction of each support 4 to the upstream end X1 in the transport direction. This allows the leading edge portion of the bottom surface of the article W being transported from the third conveyor 9 (here, the handover conveyor section 92) (the downstream end X2 in the transport direction) to contact the upper surface of the receiving guide section 18, thereby guiding the article W onto the contact surface 5. Therefore, the receiving of the article W from the third conveyor 9 by the pair of support 4 can be performed more smoothly. Note that even when the pair of support 4 are in a position along the horizontal plane as shown in Figures 1 and 2, the receiving guide section 18 may still be provided. Note that in this example, the inclination angle of the support 4 is constant, but the inclination angle of the support 4 may be made changeable.

[0025] In this embodiment, as shown in Figures 4 and 5, the article conveying equipment 1 is equipped with a pair of guide members 8 that guide the position of an article W in the width direction Y. The pair of guide members 8 are arranged in the portion of the first conveyor 11 above the contact surface 5 of the support 4, or in the region of the conveying direction X where the second conveyor 12 is located, such that the distance between them in the width direction Y gradually narrows as they move toward the downstream side X2 in the conveying direction. In this example, the pair of guide members 8 are arranged in the portion of the first conveyor 11 above the contact surface 5 of the support 4. In the example of Figure 4, the pair of guide members 8 are provided on the second conveyor 12. Specifically, the guide members 8 extend from the upstream side X1 in the conveying direction end of the first guide member 71, which is arranged in the width direction Y, toward the upstream side X1 in the conveying direction. In the example of Figure 5, the pair of guide members 8 are supported by the first conveyor 11 (here, the downstream conveyor section 7). The pair of guide members 8 are connected to the downstream conveyor section 7 via a connecting member 84. The pair of guide members 8 are also positioned on the outside in the width direction Y relative to the downstream conveyor section 7. In Figures 4 and 5, the upper ends of the pair of guide members 8 are positioned above the contact surface 5 of the support 4.

[0026] As shown in Figure 3, the goods transport equipment 1 further includes a control system 100 that controls the transport vehicle 2 and the third conveyor 9. In addition to these, the control system 100 also controls the first conveyor 11 and the second conveyor 12. In this example, the control system 100 includes a control device H that controls the first conveyor 11, the second conveyor 12, the third conveyor 9, and the transport vehicle 2, and a higher-level controller (not shown) that controls the entire goods transport equipment 1. The control device H and the higher-level controller include, for example, a processor such as a microcomputer, peripheral circuits such as memory, etc. Each function is realized through the cooperation of this hardware and a program executed on the processor such as a computer. The control device H is configured to communicate with the higher-level controller (not shown) and performs the above control based on commands from the higher-level controller. The control system 100 (in this case, the control device H) moves the transport vehicle 2 from the upstream side X1 in the transport direction to the downstream side X2 in the transport direction during the handover travel state. Then, when the goods W are handed over from the transport vehicle 2 to the first conveyor 11, the control system 100 puts the transport vehicle 2 into a receiving-travel state and continues to travel from the upstream side X1 in the transport direction to the downstream side X2 in the transport direction. The transport vehicle 2 travels below the second conveyor 12 and then receives the goods W from the third conveyor 9. The control system 100 can also put the transport vehicle 2 into a handover-travel state to hand over the goods W to the first conveyor 11 and then not put the transport vehicle 2 into a receiving-travel state. Alternatively, the control system 100 can control a different transport vehicle 2 to travel in a receiving-travel state and receive the goods W from the third conveyor 9.

[0027] When the control system 100 transfers an item W from the third conveyor 9 to the transport vehicle 2, it sets the speed at which the third conveyor 9 transports the item W to be greater than the travel speed of the transport vehicle 2 in the receiving travel state. In this example, the travel speed of the transport vehicle 2 and the speed at which the third conveyor 9 transports the item W (transport speed) are set to a constant speed. The transport speed of the third conveyor 9 is set to be a specified amount greater than the travel speed of the transport vehicle 2. The control system 100 (here, the control device H) can also, for example, temporarily stop the transport of the item W at the end region of the downstream side X2 of the transport direction of the second conveyor 12, and at the timing when the transport vehicle 2 passes a predetermined position in the transport direction X (for example, directly below the end of the downstream side X2 in the transport direction), it can transfer the item W from the second conveyor 12 to the third conveyor 9 and simultaneously transport the item W from the third conveyor 9 towards the transport vehicle 2. In this case, as the transport vehicle 2 passes directly beneath the transfer conveyor section 92, the item W moves along the transfer conveyor section 92 and makes contact with the contact surface 5 of the support 4, thereby allowing the item W to be properly transferred from the third conveyor 9 to the transport vehicle 2. The control system 100 may also transport the item W to the third conveyor 9 without temporarily stopping it on the second conveyor 12 as described above. Alternatively, the control system 100 may keep the transport speed of the third conveyor 9 constant and vary the travel speed of the transport vehicle 2 to smoothly transfer the item W from the third conveyor 9 to the transport vehicle 2. Alternatively, the control system 100 may keep the travel speed of the transport vehicle 2 constant and vary the transport speed of the third conveyor 9, or it may vary both the transport speed of the third conveyor 9 and the travel speed of the transport vehicle 2.

[0028] [Other Embodiments] (1) In the above embodiment, the transport vehicle 2 was described as having a configuration in which it comprises a pair of supports 4 as a plurality of supports 4, but it is not limited to this. The transport vehicle 2 may have a configuration in which it comprises, for example, three or more supports 4. Also, for example, the first conveyor 11 may be arranged on both outer sides in the width direction Y relative to the plurality of supports 4.

[0029] (2) In the above embodiment, the article conveying equipment 1 was described as having a configuration further comprising a third conveyor 9, but it is not limited to this. The article conveying equipment 1 does not necessarily have to be equipped with a third conveyor 9. In that case, the conveying vehicle 2 may travel from the downstream side X2 in the conveying direction back to the upstream side X1 in the conveying direction after handing over the article W to the first conveyor 11, or it may travel below the second conveyor 12 to move to a different location.

[0030] (3) In the above embodiment, when the control system 100 transfers the article W from the third conveyor 9 to the transport vehicle 2, the speed at which the third conveyor 9 transports the article W is greater than the travel speed of the transport vehicle 2 in the receiving state, but the system is not limited to this. The control system 100 may also transfer the article W at a speed that the third conveyor 9 transports less than the travel speed of the transport vehicle 2 in the receiving state.

[0031] (4) In the above embodiment, the configuration in which the multiple support members 4 are inclined downward as they move toward the downstream side X2 in the transport direction when receiving and traveling was described as an example, but the invention is not limited to this configuration. The multiple support members 4 may be inclined upward as they move toward the downstream side X2 in the transport direction when receiving and traveling.

[0032] (5) In the above embodiment, a configuration in which the inclination angle of the upstream conveyor section 6 (first inclination angle θ1) is smaller than the inclination angle of the downstream conveyor section 7 (second inclination angle θ2) was described as an example, but the embodiment is not limited to this. The inclination angle of the upstream conveyor section 6 may be about the same as the inclination angle of the downstream conveyor section 7.

[0033] (6) In the above embodiment, the pair of guide members 8 were described as being located above the contact surface 5 of the support 4 on the first conveyor 11 and outside the area in the transport direction X where the second conveyor 12 is located, but the embodiment is not limited to this. The pair of guide members 8 may be located within the area in the transport direction X where the second conveyor 12 is located. Such an example is shown in Figure 10. In Figure 10, the pair of guide members 8 are located at the upstream X1 end of the second conveyor 12 in the transport direction, within the area in the transport direction X of the second conveyor 12.

[0034] (7) The configurations disclosed in each of the embodiments described above can be applied in combination with configurations disclosed in other embodiments, as long as no inconsistencies arise. With regard to other configurations, the embodiments disclosed herein are merely illustrative in all respects. Therefore, various modifications can be made as appropriate without departing from the spirit of this disclosure.

[0035] [Summary of the above embodiments] The following is a summary of the goods handling equipment described above.

[0036] The article conveying equipment relating to this disclosure comprises a first conveyor and a second conveyor that convey articles along the conveying direction, An article transporting system comprising: a transport vehicle equipped with a support portion for supporting the article from below; The upstream side in the aforementioned transport direction is defined as the upstream side in the transport direction, the opposite side as the downstream side in the transport direction, and the direction perpendicular to the transport direction in a vertical view along the vertical direction is defined as the width direction. The first conveyor is positioned upstream of the second conveyor in the conveying direction, and is inclined downwards as it approaches the upstream side in the conveying direction, and is configured to convey the articles toward the second conveyor. The second conveyor is arranged along a horizontal plane, In order to transfer the article supported by the support to the first conveyor, the state of the transport vehicle traveling toward the first conveyor from the upstream side in the transport direction relative to the first conveyor is defined as the transfer travel state. The support portion comprises a plurality of support bodies that are spaced apart in the width direction and in contact with the bottom surface of the article during the delivery and travel state. The lower surface of the second conveyor is positioned above the contact surface that contacts the bottom surface of the article in the plurality of supports. The upstream end of the first conveyor in the conveying direction is positioned below the contact surface of the support, Each of the multiple support members is positioned in the delivery travel state at a location offset in the width direction relative to the first conveyor.

[0037] In this configuration, when a transport vehicle, with the bottom surface of an item supported by multiple supports, travels toward the first conveyor from the upstream side in the transport direction, the item is appropriately transferred from the multiple supports to the first conveyor and then transported to the second conveyor. At this time, even if these supports do not provide a driving force to transfer the item to the first conveyor, the item is transported by the driving force of the first conveyor simply by the item making contact with the first conveyor. Furthermore, when transferring the item to the first conveyor, the multiple supports are positioned offset in the width direction relative to the first conveyor, so that the bottom surface of the item on the supports makes appropriate contact with the first conveyor. Therefore, the supports on the transport vehicle side can be made simple in configuration, and the item can be stably supported while being transferred to the first conveyor. Moreover, there is no need to provide the first conveyor with any special devices or components for receiving items from the multiple supports. Therefore, the overall configuration of the equipment can be easily simplified. Furthermore, with this configuration, since the underside of the second conveyor is positioned above the contact surfaces of the multiple support structures, the transport vehicle can easily pass under the second conveyor after transferring goods to the first conveyor. Therefore, it is easier to ensure the freedom of movement of the transport vehicle. Thus, with this configuration, goods can be smoothly transferred from the transport vehicle to the conveyor with a simple setup.

[0038] The system further comprises a third conveyor that transports the articles along the transport direction. The third conveyor is positioned downstream of the second conveyor in the conveying direction, is inclined downwards as it moves downstream in the conveying direction, and is configured to receive the articles from the second conveyor and convey them downstream in the conveying direction. In order to receive the article supported by the third conveyor, the state of the transport vehicle traveling toward the third conveyor from the upstream side in the transport direction relative to the third conveyor is defined as the receiving travel state. Preferably, each of the multiple supports is positioned in a widthwise offset relative to the third conveyor when the receiving and traveling state is in place.

[0039] In this configuration, items transported by the second conveyor are transferred to the third conveyor. When the transport vehicle travels toward the third conveyor from the upstream side in the transport direction, the items are transferred from the third conveyor to the support of the transport vehicle. At that time, the items are moved from the third conveyor to the support by the driving force of the third conveyor. Therefore, there is no need to install special devices or components on the third conveyor or support for transferring items, and items can be transferred from the third conveyor to multiple support with a simple configuration.

[0040] Furthermore, the system includes a control system for controlling the transport vehicle and the third conveyor. The transport vehicle is equipped with a restricting unit that restricts the movement of the articles supported by the plurality of supports toward the downstream side in the transport direction when in the receiving and traveling state, When the control system transfers the article from the third conveyor to the transport vehicle, it is preferable that the speed at which the article is transported by the third conveyor is greater than the travel speed of the transport vehicle in the receiving travel state.

[0041] This configuration allows for the transfer of goods from the third conveyor to the transport vehicle in a receiving / traveling state at an appropriate timing. Furthermore, by including a regulating section, the goods transferred from the third conveyor can be positioned appropriately on multiple support structures. In this way, the transfer of goods from the third conveyor to the transport vehicle can be performed appropriately.

[0042] Furthermore, it is preferable that the multiple support members are inclined downwards as they move downstream in the transport direction during the receiving and transporting state.

[0043] With this configuration, depending on the position of the regulatory part, it is easy to place the item in a predetermined position relative to multiple supports when the item is received.

[0044] Furthermore, the first conveyor comprises an upstream conveyor section and a downstream conveyor section located downstream of the upstream conveyor section in the conveying direction. Preferably, the inclination angle of the upstream conveyor section is smaller than the inclination angle of the downstream conveyor section.

[0045] With this configuration, by making the inclination angle of the upstream conveyor section smaller than that of the downstream conveyor section, the transfer of goods from the transport vehicle to the first conveyor can be made smooth, regardless of the size of the goods. Furthermore, even when the second conveyor is positioned at a relatively high location, the second conveyor and the upstream conveyor section can be connected with the shortest possible transport distance.

[0046] Furthermore, the article is provided with a pair of guide members that guide the position of the article in the width direction, Preferably, the pair of guide members are arranged in the portion of the first conveyor above the contact surface of the support, or within the area in the conveying direction where the second conveyor is located, such that the spacing between them in the width direction gradually narrows as they move downstream in the conveying direction.

[0047] With this configuration, the movement of items from the upstream side in the transport direction to the downstream side in the transport direction can be appropriately guided in the first and second conveyors.

[0048] The goods transport equipment relating to this disclosure only needs to be able to achieve at least one of the effects described above. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0049] 1: Goods handling equipment 2: Transport vehicle 3: Support part 4:Support 5: Contact surface 6: Upstream conveyor section 7: Downstream conveyor section 8: Guide member 9: Third Conveyor 11: First Conveyor 12: Second Conveyor 15: Regulatory Department 100: Control System X: Conveying direction X1: Upstream side in the transport direction X2: Downstream side in the transport direction Y: width direction θ1: Inclination angle of the upstream conveyor section θ2: Inclination angle of the downstream conveyor section

Claims

1. A first conveyor and a second conveyor that transport goods along the transport direction, An article transporting system comprising: a transport vehicle equipped with a support portion for supporting the article from below; The upstream side in the aforementioned transport direction is defined as the upstream side in the transport direction, the opposite side as the downstream side in the transport direction, and the direction perpendicular to the transport direction in a vertical view along the vertical direction is defined as the width direction. The first conveyor is positioned upstream of the second conveyor in the conveying direction, and is inclined downwards as it approaches the upstream side in the conveying direction, and is configured to convey the articles toward the second conveyor. The second conveyor is arranged along a horizontal plane, In order to transfer the article supported by the support to the first conveyor, the state of the transport vehicle traveling toward the first conveyor from the upstream side in the transport direction relative to the first conveyor is defined as the transfer travel state. The support portion comprises a plurality of support bodies that are spaced apart in the width direction and in contact with the bottom surface of the article during the delivery and travel state. The lower surface of the second conveyor is positioned above the contact surface that contacts the bottom surface of the article in the plurality of supports. The upstream end of the first conveyor in the conveying direction is positioned below the contact surface of the support, An article transporting system in which each of the multiple support bodies is positioned in a widthwise offset relative to the first conveyor when the transport is in motion.

2. The system further comprises a third conveyor that transports the aforementioned articles along the transport direction. The third conveyor is positioned downstream of the second conveyor in the conveying direction, and is inclined downwards as it moves downstream in the conveying direction, and is configured to receive the articles from the second conveyor and convey them downstream in the conveying direction. In order to receive the article supported by the third conveyor, the state of the transport vehicle traveling toward the third conveyor from the upstream side in the transport direction relative to the third conveyor is defined as the receiving travel state. The article transport equipment according to claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of supports is positioned in a widthwise offset relative to the third conveyor when in the receiving and traveling state.

3. The system further comprises a control system for controlling the transport vehicle and the third conveyor, The transport vehicle is equipped with a restricting unit that restricts the movement of the articles supported by the plurality of supports toward the downstream side in the transport direction when in the receiving and traveling state, The article transport equipment according to claim 2, wherein the control system, when transferring the article from the third conveyor to the transport vehicle, sets the speed at which the article is transported by the third conveyor to be greater than the travel speed of the transport vehicle in the receiving travel state.

4. The article conveying equipment according to claim 3, wherein the plurality of supports are inclined downward as they move downstream in the conveying direction during the receiving and traveling state.

5. The first conveyor comprises an upstream conveyor section and a downstream conveyor section located downstream of the upstream conveyor section in the conveying direction, The article conveying equipment according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the inclination angle of the upstream conveyor section is smaller than the inclination angle of the downstream conveyor section.

6. The article is provided with a pair of guide members that guide the position of the article in the width direction, The article conveying equipment according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the pair of guide members are arranged in the portion of the first conveyor above the contact surface of the support, or in the conveying direction region where the second conveyor is arranged, such that the spacing between them in the width direction gradually narrows as they move downstream in the conveying direction.

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