Conveyance system

Abstract

The present invention provides a conveyance system which, with a simple configuration, eliminates the need for circulation and re-conveyance, suppresses an increase in equipment cost, reduces the number of personnel to be arranged, and reliably performs a branch operation when stopped / restarted.　The conveyance system comprises: a main conveyance path for conveying a conveyance object; at least one branch path branching off from the main conveyance path; and a branch mechanism for selectively transferring the conveyance object from the main conveyance path to the branch path. The branch mechanism has a branch sensor for detecting the conveyance object, a branch device for performing the branch operation, and a branch operation control unit for controlling the branch operation. The branch operation control unit has a stop complement function that, when the entire conveyance operation of the main conveyance path and the branch path is stopped, complements the coasting amount of the conveyance object from the time of a stop command to the time of complete stop, thereby controlling the branch operation, and, when restarting the entire conveyance operation, restarts the branch operation according to the complemented coasting amount.

Description

Transport System

[0001] The present invention relates to a conveyance system including a main conveyance path for conveying objects, at least one branch path branching off from the main conveyance path, and a branching mechanism for selectively transferring the objects from the main conveyance path to the branch path.

[0002] Conventionally, in a conveying system for conveying objects equipped with a branching mechanism, if the intended branch destination is full of already conveyed objects and the object cannot be branched to the branch destination, the object that could not be branched and the object that will be branched after the original object are circulated together on the main conveying path, so that the object that will be branched after the original object can be branched to the branch path before it makes another full circuit on the main conveying path, thereby improving conveying efficiency (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

[0003] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2023-112711

[0004] The conveying device known in Patent Document 1 and elsewhere rotates the baggage 200 on the circular conveyor 2 and transports it to the supply conveyor 3. However, due to the layout of the circular conveyor 2 and the supply conveyor 3, the overall conveyor equipment tends to be large, which may make installation difficult in environments with limited installation space. Furthermore, a separate conveyor for the circular portion must be installed, which may increase equipment costs. Furthermore, while the specific branching operation for branching the baggage 200 to the supply conveyor 3 is not described in detail, if the circular conveyor 2 stops rotating during the branching movement of one bag because another bag becomes a stopped bag, the branching movement may also stop, which may prevent the branching movement from returning to normal.

[0005] In addition, in a layout where the conveyor does not rotate, if the destination is full, it is possible to allow the transported items to pass through without diverging, but a separate overflow section is required to collect the transported items so that they can be re-introduced and sorted, and the collected transported items must be moved to the entrance of the conveyor and then re-introduced onto the conveyor, which can increase labor costs associated with moving the transported items and take time to re-transport them.The present invention solves these problems and aims to provide a transport system that is simple in configuration, does not require rotation or re-transport, suppresses increases in equipment costs, reduces the number of personnel required, and reliably performs diverging operations when stopping and restarting.

[0006] The conveying system of the present invention is a conveying system comprising a main conveying path for conveying objects, at least one branch path branching off from the main conveying path, and a branching mechanism for selectively transferring objects from the main conveying path to the branch path, wherein the branching mechanism has a branching sensor for detecting the objects, a branching device for performing the branching operation, and a branching operation control unit for controlling the branching operation, and wherein the branching operation control unit has a stop complement function that, when the entire conveying operation of the main conveying path and the branch path is stopped, complements the coasting amount of the objects from the time of the stop command to the time of complete stop to control the branching operation, and when the entire conveying operation is resumed, resumes the branching operation in accordance with the complemented coasting amount, thereby solving the above-mentioned problem.

[0007] According to the invention of claim 1, there is provided a conveying system including a main conveying path for conveying articles, at least one branch path branching from the main conveying path, and a diverting mechanism for selectively transferring articles from the main conveying path to the branch path, the diverting mechanism including a branching sensor for detecting articles, a diverting device for performing the branching operation, and a diverting operation control unit for controlling the branching operation, the diverting operation control unit having a stop complement function that, when the entire conveying operation of the main conveying path and the branch path is stopped, complements the coasting amount of the articles from the time of the stop command to the complete stop to control the diverting operation, and when the entire conveying operation is resumed, resumes the diverting operation according to the complemented coasting amount, thereby ensuring reliable diverting operation when the conveying path is stopped and resumed. This makes it possible to stop the entire conveying operation when the target branch destination is full of articles already conveyed, eliminating the need to collect articles that cannot be diverted to the branch path in an overflow area or to design a layout that circulates the main conveying path. This eliminates the need to move the items when re-conveying them, re-insert them into the item inlet of the main conveyance path, correct sorting information, and other tasks, and also reduces the number of personnel stationed in overflow areas, etc. Also, by not using a circular layout for the main conveyance path, the overall length of the main conveyance path can be shortened, making the conveyance system more compact and reducing installation costs. Furthermore, if any branch path becomes full with items, the entire conveyance operation of the main conveyance path and the branch paths stops, and no more items are conveyed to the branch path. This allows the fullness determination position for items to be set further upstream on the branch path, thereby increasing the amount of items that can be accepted at the branch path.

[0008] According to the configuration described in claim 2, the system is provided with a plurality of branch rollers that can rotate in the conveying direction, and the branch rollers are configured to be able to change the conveying direction by changing the orientation of their rotation axes within a horizontal plane, which makes it easier to control the branching operation control unit, allowing the conveyed items to be conveyed and branched with precision, and the conveyed items to be accurately branched to the desired branch path.

[0009] According to the configuration of claim 3, the branching operation control unit has an accumulating timer means, so that it can start counting using the accumulating timer immediately after being detected by the branching sensor.As a result, even if the entire conveying operation of the main conveying path and the branching operation stops in the middle of the branching operation by the branching device, the amount of coasting of the transported item from the time of the stop command to the time of complete stop can be compensated for by taking into account the conveying speed of the transported item and the number of counts by the accumulating timer.This makes it possible to resume the branching operation of the branching device from the middle, and ensures that branching operations can be performed reliably when the conveying system is stopped and restarted.

[0010] According to the configuration of claim 4, the branching operation control unit has a pulse signal receiving means, so that it can start receiving a pulse signal immediately after being detected by the branching sensor.As a result, even if the entire conveying operation of the main conveying path and the branching operation stops in the middle of the branching operation by the branching device, the amount of coasting of the transported object from the time of the stop command to the time of complete stop can be compensated for by taking into account the conveying speed of the transported object and the number of pulses in the received pulse signal.This makes it possible to resume the branching operation of the branching device from the middle, and ensures that the branching operation can be performed reliably when the conveying system is stopped and restarted.

[0011] According to the configuration of claim 5, by providing a plurality of the branch paths and the branch mechanisms for the main conveying path, it is possible to branch the conveyed object to a plurality of branch destinations without significantly increasing the occupied area of ​​the conveying system. Furthermore, regardless of which branch path the conveyed object is passing through, if the conveying operation of the main conveying path and the branch path as a whole stops during the branching operation, the stop supplement function of the branch mechanism can supplement the coasting amount of the conveyed object.

[0012] According to the configuration of claim 6, the main conveying path has an encoder that detects the rotation of the drive unit, making it possible to synchronize the feed displacement of the main conveying path with the position of the conveyed item detected by the branching sensor, thereby enabling more reliable branching operations when the conveyed item is stopped and restarted.

[0013] 1 is a top view of a transport system 100 according to a first embodiment of the present invention; 2 is a top view of a diverging mechanism 130 of the transport system 100 according to the first embodiment of the present invention; 3 is a top view of the diverging mechanism 130 of the transport system 100 according to the first embodiment of the present invention during a diverging operation; 4 is a top view of the diverging mechanism 130 of the transport system 100 according to the first embodiment of the present invention, and a control diagram of the diverging operation.

[0014] A conveying system 100 according to a first embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. As shown in Fig. 1, the conveying system 100 according to the first embodiment of the present invention includes a main conveying path 110, three branch paths 120, three branching mechanisms 130, and an encoder (not shown).

[0015] The main conveying path 110 is configured to be able to move the transported objects to another position, and is configured by a belt conveyor, a roller conveyor, or the like. Furthermore, both ends of the main conveying path 110 are configured to be connectable to the branching devices 132 that constitute the branching mechanism 130, allowing the arrangement and configuration of the transport path to be freely rearranged, and also allowing the conveying speed and the timings for stopping and restarting the transport operation to be freely adjusted. Furthermore, the path shape of the main conveying path 110 is not limited to a straight line or an arc, and may be any shape as long as the transported objects can be moved along it.

[0016] Like the main conveying path 110, the branching path 120 is configured to move the transported items to another position and is configured by a belt conveyor, a roller conveyor, or the like. Furthermore, at least one end of the branching path 120 is configured to be connectable to a branching device 132 that constitutes the branching mechanism 130, allowing the arrangement and configuration of the transport path to be freely rearranged, and also allowing the transport speed and the timing of stopping and restarting the transport operation to be freely adjusted. The path shape of the branching path 120 is not limited to a straight line or an arc, and may be any shape as long as the transported items can be moved. The branching path 120 may also have a sensor that detects whether the path is full of transported items.

[0017] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the main conveying path 110 and the branching path 120 are configured so that the angle they form when viewed from the conveying direction of the object is an obtuse angle, making it possible to branch the object from the main conveying path 110 to the branching path 120 without reducing the conveying speed of the object. Also, the conveying operations of all of the main conveying paths 110, branching devices 132, and branching paths 120 in the conveying system 100 can be controlled collectively, and the conveying operations can be stopped and resumed simultaneously.

[0018] As shown in FIG. 2, the branching mechanism 130 has a branching sensor 131 that detects the arrival of a transported item, a branching device 132 that performs the branching operation, and a branching operation control unit (not shown) that controls the branching operation.

[0019] The branching sensor 131 is disposed on the main conveying path 110 so as to cross the conveying path of the conveyed object, and is configured to be able to detect the arrival of the conveyed object.

[0020] 2, the branching device 132 can be connected to the main conveying path 110 and the branching path 120, and can arbitrarily branch the conveying direction of the conveyed object into multiple directions. The branching device 132 also has a motor (not shown) and multiple branching rollers 133 that are driven by the motor and can rotate in the conveying direction, and the conveyed object can travel straight by passing over the multiple branching rollers 133 that rotate in the same direction as the conveying direction of the main conveying path 110.

[0021] 2, in this embodiment, a total of eight rows of branch rollers 133 are provided in the traveling direction of the transported article, with each odd-numbered row consisting of six branch rollers 133 and each even-numbered row consisting of seven branch rollers 133. The branch rollers 133 are capable of changing the orientation of their rotation axes in the horizontal plane, and by sequentially changing the orientation of the rotation axes of the branch rollers 133 in the horizontal plane in accordance with the timing at which the transported article passes over the branch rollers 133, the traveling path of the transported article can be changed toward the branch path 120.

[0022] At this time, the rotation axes of the branch rollers constituting each branch roller group are synchronized in the horizontal direction relative to the traveling direction of the transported article in the first and second branch roller groups 133a, the second and fourth branch roller groups 133b, the third and sixth branch roller groups 133c, and the fourth and eighth branch roller groups 133d. Therefore, by sequentially changing the rotation axes of the first branch roller group 133a, the second branch roller group 133b, the third branch roller group 133c, and the fourth branch roller group 133d in this order in accordance with the traveling status of the transported article, it is possible to change the traveling path of the transported article toward branch path 120.

[0023] For example, as shown in Figure 3, when an item 200 is being transported on the main transport path 110 and it is desired to branch the item 200 to the branch path 120, after the arrival of the item 200 is detected by the branch sensor 131, the orientation of the rotation axis of the first branch roller group 133a is changed in the horizontal plane after a certain time has elapsed, and thereafter, the orientation of the rotation axis of the second branch roller group 133b, the third branch roller group 133c, and the fourth branch roller group 133d are successively changed in the horizontal plane at regular intervals thereafter, thereby branching the item 200 to the branch path 120.

[0024] The diverting operation control unit (not shown) controls the diverting operation of the transported objects by the diverting mechanism 130, and in this embodiment has an integrating timer means (not shown) that is capable of integrating operations. By having the integrating timer means, when the entire transport operation of the main transport path 110, the diverting device 132, and the diverting path 120 stops because the diverting path 120 is full of transported objects, for example, the diverting operation can be controlled by supplementing the coasting amount of the transported objects from the time the diverting operation stop command is issued until the diverting operation is completely stopped, and if there are objects in the middle of the diverting operation when the diverting operation is resumed, the stop supplementing function makes it possible to resume the diverting operation from the middle.

[0025] The encoder (not shown) is disposed upstream of the conveying system 100, i.e., near the object inlet, and is configured to be able to synchronize the object being input into the conveying system 100 with the positional information of the object on the conveying system 100. Also, like the integrating timer means of the branching operation control unit, it is also possible to compensate for the coasting amount of the object from the start to the end of the conveying operation.

[0026] Next, the straight-line operation and branching operation by the diverting mechanism 130 in the conveying system 100 according to the first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. 4 , with respect to a case where the entire conveying operation of the main conveying path 110, the branching device 132, and the branching path 120 does not stop during the straight-line operation or the branching operation, and a case where the entire conveying operation of the main conveying path 110, the branching device 132, and the branching path 120 stops during the straight-line operation or the branching operation. FIG. 4 shows the diverting mechanism 130 and the control timing of the branching roller 133 when an object passes through the diverting mechanism 130. In the graph at the top of FIG. 4 , the horizontal axis represents the distance from the branching sensor, and the vertical axis represents time. In FIG. 4 , a passage control operation 136 indicated by a white circle represents the control timing of the branching roller 133 when the object does not stop during the branching operation, and a stop control operation 137 indicated by a black circle represents the control timing of the main conveying path 110, the branching device 132, and the branching path 120 when the object stops during the branching operation.

[0027] First, we will explain the operation of the diverting mechanism 130 when the overall conveying operation of the main conveying path 110, the diverting device 132, and the diverging path 120 is not stopped. In this embodiment, the conveying direction of each diverting roller group is always oriented in the same direction as the main conveying path 110, and the diverting operation is controlled when the diverging sensor 131 detects that an object to be diverted has arrived; otherwise, the diverting operation is not performed, and the object travels straight on the diverting device 132.

[0028] When the object to be diverted is transported on the main transport path 110 and its arrival is detected by the diverting sensor 131, counting by the integrating timer means is started, and the object is transported on the diverting device 132 in accordance with the passage control operation 136.

[0029] At the count timing when the conveyed object reaches first branch roller group branching operation position 134a, the conveying direction of first branch roller group 133a is switched to the direction of branch path 120, so that the conveyed object can be transferred on first branch roller group 133a toward branch path 120. Next, at the count timing when the conveyed object reaches second branch roller group branching operation position 134b, the conveying direction of second branch roller group 133b is switched to the direction of branch path 120, so that the conveyed object can be transferred on second branch roller group 133b toward branch path 120. Next, at the count timing when the conveyed object reaches third branch roller group branching operation position 134c, the conveying direction of third branch roller group 133c is switched to the direction of branch path 120, so that the conveyed object can be transferred on third branch roller group 133c toward branch path 120. Next, at the timing of the count when the conveyed object reaches the branching operation position 134d of the fourth branching roller group, the conveying direction of the fourth branching roller group 133d is switched to the direction of the branching path 120, and the conveyed object can be conveyed on the fourth branching roller group 133d in the direction of the branching path 120. As a result, the conveyed object is conveyed to the branching path 120 by the branching operation of the branching device 132. Here, the conveying direction of each branching roller group is returned to the same direction as the main conveying path 110 when the conveyed object has completely passed through.

[0030] Next, a description will be given of the branching operation by the branching mechanism 130 when the entire conveying operation of the main conveying path 110, the branching device 132, and the branching path 120 is stopped. In this embodiment, when any of the branching paths 120 is full with already conveyed objects, the entire conveying operation of the main conveying path 110, the branching device 132, and the branching path 120 is stopped to prevent the branching path 120 from overflowing with objects, and a process is performed to prevent any more objects from being conveyed to the branching path 120. At this time, the objects on the main conveying path 110, the branching device 132, and the branching path 120 are stopped when the conveying operation of the main conveying path 110, the branching device 132, and the branching path 120 is stopped, and conveyance is resumed when the conveying operation of the main conveying path 110, the branching device 132, and the branching path 120 is resumed.

[0031] On the other hand, if the conveying operations of the main conveying path 110, the diverting device 132, and the diverting path 120 stop during the diverting operation by the diverting mechanism 130, i.e., after the diverting sensor 131 detects the arrival of the conveyed object but before the diverting operation by the diverting device 132 is completed, the motor also stops, and the rotational motion of the diverting roller 133 driven by the motor also stops. At this time, a time lag occurs due to inertia between the issuance of a stop command for the conveying operations of the main conveying path 110, the diverting device 132, and the diverting path 120 and their complete stop, and the conveyed object continues to be transported during that time. For this reason, the diverting operation control unit uses an integrating timer means to compensate for the coasting amount of the conveyed object during the diverting operation from the issuance of the stop command to the complete stop, and when the conveying operation is resumed, a stop compensation function is used to control the operation of the diverting device 132 using the compensated coasting amount, making it possible to resume the diverting operation from the middle.

[0032] The method of complementing the coasting amount by the integrating timer means and the method of restarting the diverting operation of the transported object will be described with reference to Fig. 4. When the transported object is transported on the main transport path 110 and its arrival is detected by the diverting sensor 131, the integrating timer means starts counting, and the transported object is first transported on the diverting device 132 in accordance with the passage control operation 136.

[0033] At the timing of counting when the transported object reaches the first branch roller group branch operation position 134a, the transport direction of the first branch roller group 133a becomes the branch direction, and the transported object moves on the first branch roller group 133a. At this time, if the transport operations of the main transport path 110, the branch device 132, and the branch path 120 are stopped at position 135a where a stop command for the main transport path 110, the branch device 132, and the branch path 120 is issued, the operation of the transported object is switched from the passing control operation 136 to the stop control operation 137. Even when switched to the stop control operation 137, the integration by the integration timer means continues.

[0034] Next, at the timing of counting when the conveyed object reaches the branching operation position 134b of the second branching roller group, the conveying direction of the second branching roller group 133b becomes the branching direction, and the conveyed object moves on the second branching roller group 133b.

[0035] Next, the counting of the integrating timer means stops at the timing when the transported article reaches count stop position 135b of the integrating timer means. This count stop position 135b of the integrating timer means is preset in the integrating timer means to be half the time required from the stop command to the complete stop of the diverting device 132 when the transporting operations of the main transport path 110, the diverting device 132, and the diverting path 120 stop, and if the transported article stops during the diverting operation, the integrating timer means continues counting from the time the stop command is issued until the time preset in the integrating timer means has elapsed.

[0036] After the counting by the integrating timer means is completed, the conveyed object is further transported by the inertia of the branching roller 133 and stops at a complete stop position 135c of the main conveying path 110, the branching device 132, and the branching path 120. At this time, the counting by the integrating timer means is stopped and no accumulation is performed between the count stop position 135b of the integrating timer means and the complete stop position 135c of the main conveying path 110, the branching device 132, and the branching path 120.

[0037] By having the integrating timer means count only half the coasting distance from when the stop command is issued until the transported article comes to a complete stop, the count of the integrating timer at the stop position of the transported article when the transported article comes to a complete stop can be made equal to the count of the integrating timer at a point the same distance when the transported article does not come to a complete stop. That is, the count of the loading timer means is the same at the complete stop position 135c of the main transport path 110, the diverging device 132, and the diverging path 120 and at the position 134e equidistant from the complete stop positions of the main transport path 110, the diverging device 132, and the diverging path 120. As a result, when the transport operation of the transported article is resumed from the complete stop position 135c of the main transport path 110, the diverging device 132, and the diverging path 120, the transport operation can be resumed from the same count as at the position 134e equidistant from the complete stop positions of the main transport path 110, the diverging device 132, and the diverging path 120. Therefore, even if the conveying operations of the main conveying path 110, the branching device 132, and the branching path 120 are stopped, the branching operation by the branching device 132 can be restarted from the middle.

[0038] When the branch path 120 is no longer full of articles and the conveying operation of the main conveying path 110, the branching device 132, and the branch path 120 can be resumed, the conveying operation is resumed from the stopped state at the complete stop position 135c of the main conveying path 110, the branching device 132, and the branch path 120. At this time, a position that is a distance equivalent to the distance traveled from the time the stop command for the articles was issued until the complete stop, i.e., the distance from the position 135a where the stop command for the main conveying path 110, the branching device 132, and the branch path 120 was issued to the complete stop position 135c of the main conveying path 110, the branching device 132, and the branch path 120, is set as the normal conveying start position 135d of the main conveying path 110, the branching device 132, and the branch path 120, and the distance required to accelerate the articles from the completely stopped state to the specified conveying speed is set to this position. After the normal conveyance start position 135d of the main conveyance path 110, the branching device 132, and the branching path 120, the conveyed object is conveyed on the main conveyance path 110, the branching device 132, and the branching path 120 as usual.

[0039] Next, a conveying system 100b according to a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The conveying system 100b according to the second embodiment of the present invention has a configuration in which a pulse signal receiving means (not shown) is used instead of the integrating timer means in the configuration of the conveying system 100 according to the first embodiment of the present invention, and the straight movement and branching operation by the branching mechanism 130 when the entire conveying operation of the main conveying path 110, the branching device 132, and the branching path 120 is not stopped is the same as that of the conveying system 100 according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

[0040] Next, a description will be given of the straight forward movement by the diverting mechanism 130 in the conveying system 100b according to the second embodiment when the entire conveying operation of the main conveying path 110, the diverting device 132, and the diverting path 120 stops. The conveying system 100b according to the second embodiment uses a pulse signal receiving means of the diverting operation control unit to compensate for the coasting amount of the conveyed object during the diverting operation from when a stop command is issued until the object is completely stopped, and when the conveying operation of the main conveying path 110, the diverting device 132, and the diverting path 120 resumes, the compensated coasting amount is used to control the operation of the diverting device 132 and the diverting rollers 133, thereby making it possible to resume the diverting operation from the middle.

[0041] The method of complementing the coasting amount by the pulse signal receiving means and the method of resuming the diverting operation of the conveyed object will be described with reference to Figure 4. When an object is conveyed on the main conveying path 110 and its arrival is detected by the diverting sensor 131, the pulse signal receiving means receives a pulse signal from the encoder and begins pulse measurement, and the object is first conveyed on the diverting device 132 in accordance with the passage control operation 136. Here, the pulse signal from the encoder can be converted into distance, and the distance required for the object to move from the diverting sensor 131 to the diverting operation position 134a of the first diverting roller group and the distance required for the object to move between the diverting operation positions of the first to fourth diverting roller groups are set in advance in the diverting operation control unit.

[0042] At the timing of the count when the transported object reaches the first branch roller group branch operation position 134a, the transport direction of the first branch roller group 133a becomes the branch direction, and the transported object moves on the first branch roller group 133a. At this time, if the transport operations of the main transport path 110, the branch device 132, and the branch path 120 stop at position 135a where a stop command for the main transport path 110, the branch device 132, and the branch path 120 is issued, the operation of the transported object is switched from the passage control operation 136 to the stop control operation 137. Even when switched to the stop control operation 137, the pulse measurement by the pulse signal receiving means continues.

[0043] Next, at the timing of counting when the conveyed object reaches the branching operation position 134b of the second branching roller group, the conveying direction of the second branching roller group 133b becomes the branching direction, and the conveyed object moves on the second branching roller group 133b.

[0044] Next, when the transported article stops at the complete stop position 135c of the main transport path 110, the branching device 132, and the branching path 120, the pulse signal from the encoder also stops, and therefore the pulse signal receiving means also stops receiving pulse signals. In this way, even when the operation of the main transport path 110, the branching device 132, and the branching path 120 stops, the pulse signal receiving means converts the pulse signal from when the main transport path 110 starts to stop until it stops into a distance, making it possible to directly compensate for the coasting amount of the transported article.

[0045] When the branch path 120 is no longer full of articles and the conveying operation of the main conveying path 110, the branching device 132, and the branch path 120 can be resumed, the conveying operation is resumed from the stopped state at the complete stop position 135c of the main conveying path 110, the branching device 132, and the branch path 120. At this time, a position that is a distance equivalent to the distance traveled from the time the stop command for the articles was issued until the complete stop, i.e., the distance from the position 135a where the stop command for the main conveying path 110, the branching device 132, and the branch path 120 was issued to the complete stop position 135c of the main conveying path 110, the branching device 132, and the branch path 120, is set as the normal conveying start position 135d of the main conveying path 110, the branching device 132, and the branch path 120, and the distance to this position is set as the distance required for the articles to accelerate from the stopped state to the specified conveying speed. After the normal conveyance start position 135d of the main conveyance path 110, the branching device 132, and the branching path 120, the conveyed object is conveyed on the main conveyance path 110, the branching device 132, and the branching path 120 as usual.

[0046] Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail above, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and various design modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the present invention as defined in the claims. The conveying system according to the present invention can accommodate a variety of layouts, and in addition to the above-described embodiments, the shape, size, and conveying direction of the main conveying path and branching paths can be freely changed. Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, the branching mechanism 130 uses a branching device 132 having branching rollers 133, but a branching mechanism using other branching methods, such as extrusion, may also be used. Furthermore, this is effective not only for stopping and restarting when the container is full, but also for emergency stopping or temporary suspension of the entire conveying system due to other factors.

[0047] 100... Conveying system 110... Main conveying path 120... Branching path 130... Branching mechanism 131... Branching sensor 132... Branching device 133... Branching roller 133a... First branching roller group 133b... Second branching roller group 133c... Third branching roller group 133d... Fourth branching roller group 134a... First branching roller group branching operation position 134b... Second branching roller group branching operation position 134c... Third branching roller group branching operation position 134d... Fourth branching roller group branching operation position 134e... Position equidistant from the complete stop position of the main conveying path 110, branching device 132 and branching path 120 135a... Position where a stop command for the main conveying path 110, branching device 132 and branching path 120 is issued 135b... Count stop position of the integrating timer 135c: Complete stop position of the main conveying path 110, the branching device 132, and the branching path 120; 135d: Normal conveying start position of the main conveying path 110, the branching device 132, and the branching path 120; 136: Passing control operation; 137: Stop control operation; 200: Conveyed object

Claims

1. A conveying system comprising a main conveying path for conveying objects, at least one branch path branching off from the main conveying path, and a branching mechanism for selectively transferring objects from the main conveying path to the branch path, wherein the branching mechanism has a branching sensor for detecting the objects, a branching device for performing the branching operation, and a branching operation control unit for controlling the branching operation, wherein the branching operation control unit controls the branching operation by supplementing the coasting amount of the objects from the time of a stop command to the time of complete stop when the entire conveying operation of the main conveying path and the branch path is stopped, and has a stop supplementing function for resuming the branching operation according to the supplemented coasting amount when the entire conveying operation is resumed.

2. The conveying system described in claim 1, characterized in that the branching device is equipped with multiple branching rollers that can rotate in the conveying direction, and the branching rollers are configured so that the conveying direction can be changed by changing the direction of their rotation axes within a horizontal plane.

3. A conveying system according to claim 1, wherein said branching operation control section has an integrating timer means.

4. The transport system according to claim 1, wherein the branching operation control unit has a pulse signal receiving means.

5. The transport system according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of said branch paths and said branch mechanisms are provided for said main transport path.

6. The conveying system according to claim 1, wherein the main conveying path has an encoder for detecting the rotation of the drive unit.

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