Article transport facility

Abstract

This article transport facility is configured such that: a first conveyor (11) is disposed on the upstream side (X1) in the transport direction with respect to a second conveyor (12) and disposed so as to be inclined downward toward the upstream side (X1) in the transport direction; the second conveyor (12) is disposed along a horizontal surface; a support part (3) comprises a plurality of support bodies (4) disposed so as to be spaced away from each other in the width direction (Y) and contacting the bottom surface of an article (W) which is in a delivery travel state; the lower surface of the second conveyor (12) is disposed above contact surfaces (5) of the plurality of support bodies (4) in contact with the bottom surface of the article (W); the end part of the first conveyor (11) on the upstream side (X1) in the conveyance direction is disposed below the contact surfaces (5) of the support bodies (4); and each of the plurality of support bodies (4) is disposed at a position displaced in the width direction (Y) relative to the first conveyor (11) in the delivery travel state.

Description

Article Transport Facility

[0006]

[0001] The present invention relates to an article transport facility.

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

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

[0004] Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 48-086575

[0005] In the article transport facility of Patent Document 1, in order to smoothly deliver the article from the transport vehicle to the first conveyor, the first conveyor is configured to include a pair of rollers provided at the tip, or the first conveyor is configured to include a pair of belt conveyors. These pair of rollers and pair of belt conveyors are arranged outside the width direction of the traveling transport vehicle. Thereby, interference between the transport vehicle for delivering the article and the first conveyor is avoided. However, in such an article transport facility, since the configuration on the conveyor side needs to be matched with the configuration on the transport vehicle side, there is a problem that the configuration of the conveyor tends to be complicated.

[0006] Therefore, an article transport facility that can smoothly deliver an article from a transport vehicle to a conveyor with a simple configuration is desired.

[0007] The article conveying equipment according to this disclosure comprises a first conveyor and a second conveyor for conveying articles along a conveying direction, and a transport vehicle equipped with a support portion for supporting the articles from below, wherein the upstream side in the conveying direction is defined as the upstream side in the conveying direction, the opposite side as the downstream side in the conveying direction, and the direction perpendicular to the conveying 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, is inclined downward 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 positioned along a horizontal plane, and the state of the transport vehicle traveling toward the first conveyor from the upstream side in the conveying direction relative to the first conveyor in order to transfer the articles supported by the support portion to the first conveyor is defined as the transfer travel state, the support portion comprises a plurality of supports arranged spaced apart in the width direction and in contact with the bottom surface of the articles in the transfer travel state, The lower surface of the second conveyor is positioned above the contact surface of the plurality of supports that contacts the bottom surface of the article, the upstream end of the first conveyor in the conveying direction is positioned below the contact surface of the supports, and each of the plurality of supports is positioned offset in the width direction relative to the first conveyor in the handover travel state.

[0008] According to 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 will be transported by the driving force of the first conveyor as the item makes 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 to receive 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 the 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 structure.

[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.

[0010] Side view schematically showing the driving state of the transport vehicle Side view schematically showing the driving state of the transport vehicle in a different embodiment Control block diagram Plan view schematically showing the arrangement relationship of the support part of the transport vehicle, the first conveyor, the second conveyor, and the guide member Plan view schematically showing the arrangement relationship of the first conveyor (downstream conveyor section), the second conveyor, and the guide member in a different embodiment Side view schematically showing the arrangement relationship between the first conveyor and the second conveyor, and the arrangement relationship between the third conveyor and the fourth conveyor Plan view schematically showing the arrangement relationship of the support part of the transport vehicle and the third conveyor Plan view schematically showing the guide member in a different embodiment

[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 includes 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 includes 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 a plurality of transport vehicles 2.

[0013] The second conveyor 12 is arranged along a horizontal plane. In this embodiment, the second conveyor 12 is arranged along a horizontal plane and along the transport direction X. Here, "arranged along a horizontal plane" includes not only being arranged parallel to the horizontal plane, but also being arranged at a slight inclination with respect to the horizontal plane (for example, a plane with an inclination angle of about 1 to 2 degrees). On the second conveyor 12, for example, work may be performed on the goods W being transported, or the goods W may be transferred to and from other transport devices (such as a stacker crane). Examples of work performed on the goods W being transported include picking work on the goods W if the goods W are containers (carton containers, collapsible containers, etc.). Furthermore, an example of the transfer of goods W between other transport devices as described above is an automated warehouse where other transport devices further transfer goods W to and from goods storage shelves. In the examples of Figures 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 this embodiment, the conveying surface (upper surface) of the article W on the second conveyor 12 is positioned above the first conveyor 11 and the third conveyor 9. Also, the lower surface of the second conveyor 12 is positioned above the upper end of the transport vehicle 2. In this example, first guide members 71 are provided at both ends of the second conveyor 12 in the width direction Y to guide the article W in the conveying direction X and to prevent 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. Also, 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. Furthermore, in these conveyors, the conveying surface that transports the items of 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, on the upstream side X1 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 conveying 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 positioned downstream X2 in the transport direction relative to the second conveyor 12, and is inclined downwards as it approaches the downstream X2 in the transport direction. It is configured to receive articles W from the second conveyor 12 and transport them toward the downstream X2 in the transport direction. In this embodiment, the third conveyor 9 comprises a transport conveyor section 91 and a handover conveyor section 92 positioned downstream X2 in the transport direction relative to the transport conveyor section 91. The transport conveyor section 91 is adjacent to the handover conveyor section 92 and transports articles W received from the second conveyor 12 toward the handover conveyor section 92. As shown in Figure 7, the inclination angle of the handover conveyor section 92 (fourth inclination angle θ4) is smaller than the inclination angle of the transport conveyor section 91 (third inclination angle θ3). Thus, the handover conveyor section 92 is inclined more gently than the transport conveyor section 91. This allows for the smooth transfer of goods W from the third conveyor 9 to the transport vehicle 2, regardless of the size of the goods W. Furthermore, even when the second conveyor 12 is positioned at a relatively high location, the second conveyor 12 and the transfer conveyor section 92 can be connected with the shortest possible transport distance. In this example, the fourth inclination angle θ4 is approximately the same as the first inclination angle θ1. The third inclination angle θ3 is approximately the same as the second inclination angle θ2. Here, the range of "approximately the same" includes not only the same value but also, for example, an error value of 1-2%. Note that these inclination angles may be different from each other. For example, the third conveyor 9 may be inclined more gently overall than the first conveyor 11, or it may be inclined more sharply. Note that the transfer conveyor section 92 does not necessarily need to be inclined and may be positioned 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 part 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 article W supported on the support part 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 article 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 while 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 receives the item W from the third conveyor 9.

[0018] As shown in Figure 4, the support section 3 includes 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 that are aligned in the transport direction X. The article W is supported from below by the plurality of support members 4 that are spaced apart in the width direction Y. In this embodiment, the support section 3 includes 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 in the vertical direction relative to 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 upper 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. With this configuration, a space is formed 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 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 receiving and traveling. 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 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 arranged, 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 of the first guide members 71, which are arranged separately 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 on 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 in the downstream X2 end region of the second conveyor 12 in the transport direction, 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 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 support bodies 4 as a plurality of support bodies 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 support bodies 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 support bodies 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, after the article W is delivered to the first conveyor 11, the transport vehicle 2 may travel from the downstream side X2 in the transport direction back to the upstream side X1 in the transport direction, 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 by the third conveyor 9 at a speed 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 system is not limited to this. 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 system 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 invention 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 embodiment] The following is a summary of the article conveying equipment described above.

[0036] The article conveying equipment according to this disclosure comprises a first conveyor and a second conveyor for conveying articles along a conveying direction, and a transport vehicle equipped with a support portion for supporting the articles from below, wherein the upstream side in the conveying direction is defined as the upstream side in the conveying direction, the opposite side as the downstream side in the conveying direction, and the direction perpendicular to the conveying 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, is inclined downward 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 positioned along a horizontal plane, and the state of the transport vehicle traveling toward the first conveyor from the upstream side in the conveying direction relative to the first conveyor in order to transfer the articles supported by the support portion to the first conveyor is defined as the transfer travel state, the support portion comprises a plurality of supports arranged spaced apart in the width direction and in contact with the bottom surface of the articles in the transfer travel state, The lower surface of the second conveyor is positioned above the contact surface of the plurality of supports that contacts the bottom surface of the article, the upstream end of the first conveyor in the conveying direction is positioned below the contact surface of the supports, and each of the plurality of supports is positioned offset in the width direction relative to the first conveyor in the handover travel state.

[0037] According to 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 will be transported by the driving force of the first conveyor as the item makes 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 to receive 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 the 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 structure.

[0038] Here, 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 transport direction, is inclined downward as it moves downstream in the transport direction, and is configured to receive the articles from the second conveyor and transport them downstream in the transport direction, and in order to receive the articles 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, and it is preferable that each of the plurality of supports is positioned offset in the width direction relative to the third conveyor in the receiving travel state.

[0039] According to this configuration, the article conveyed by the second conveyor is delivered to the third conveyor. Then, when the carrier travels from the upstream side in the conveying direction toward the third conveyor, the article is delivered from the third conveyor to the support of the carrier. At this time, the article moves from the third conveyor to the support by the driving force of the third conveyor. Therefore, there is no need to provide special devices, members, etc. for transferring the article on the third conveyor or the support, and the article can be transferred from the third conveyor to a plurality of supports with a simple configuration.

[0040] Further, it further includes a control system for controlling the carrier and the third conveyor. The carrier includes a restricting portion for restricting the movement of the article supported by the plurality of supports toward the downstream side in the conveying direction in the receiving traveling state. When delivering the article from the third conveyor to the carrier, it is preferable that the control system makes the speed of conveying the article by the third conveyor higher than the traveling speed of the carrier in the receiving traveling state.

[0041] According to this configuration, the article can be delivered from the third conveyor to the carrier at an appropriate timing. Further, by providing the restricting portion, the article delivered from the third conveyor can be arranged at an appropriate position on the plurality of supports. Thus, the delivery of the article from the third conveyor to the carrier can be appropriately performed.

[0042] Further, it is preferable that the plurality of supports are inclined downward as they go toward the downstream side in the conveying direction in the receiving traveling state.

[0043] According to this configuration, depending on the position of the restricting portion, it is easy to arrange the article at a defined position with respect to the plurality of supports when receiving the article.

[0044] Further, the first conveyor includes an upstream conveyor portion and a downstream conveyor portion arranged on the downstream side in the conveying direction with respect to the upstream conveyor portion. It is preferable that the inclination angle of the upstream conveyor portion is smaller than the inclination angle of the downstream conveyor portion.

[0045] According to this configuration, by making the inclination angle of the upstream conveyor section smaller than the inclination angle of the downstream conveyor section, regardless of the size of the article, the article can be smoothly received from the transport vehicle onto the first conveyor. Further, even when the second conveyor is arranged at a relatively high position, the second conveyor and the upstream conveyor section can be connected with a transport distance as short as possible.

[0046] Further, it includes a pair of guide members for guiding the position of the article in the width direction. The pair of guide members are arranged such that the distance in the width direction gradually decreases as they go downstream in the transport direction in a portion above the contact surface of the support on the first conveyor or in the region in the transport direction where the second conveyor is arranged. This is preferable.

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

[0048] The article transport facility according to the present disclosure only needs to be able to achieve at least one of the above-described effects.

[0049] 1: Article transport facility 2: Transport vehicle 3: Support section 4: Support body 5: Contact surface 6: Upstream conveyor section 7: Downstream conveyor section 8: Guide member 9: Third conveyor 11: First conveyor 12: Second conveyor 15: Regulation section 100: Control system X: Transport 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. An article conveying system comprising: a first conveyor and a second conveyor for conveying articles along the conveying direction; and a transport vehicle equipped with a support portion for supporting the articles from below, wherein the upstream side in the conveying direction is defined as the upstream side in the conveying direction, the opposite side as the downstream side in the conveying direction, and the direction perpendicular to the conveying 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 downward 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 positioned along a horizontal plane; the state of the transport vehicle traveling toward the first conveyor from the upstream side in the conveying direction relative to the first conveyor in order to transfer the articles supported by the support portion to the first conveyor is defined as the transfer travel state; and the support portion comprises a plurality of supports arranged spaced apart in the width direction and in contact with the bottom surface of the articles in the transfer travel state. The lower surface of the second conveyor is positioned above the contact surface of the plurality of supports that contacts the bottom surface of the article, the upstream end of the first conveyor in the conveying direction is positioned below the contact surface of the supports, and each of the plurality of supports is positioned offset in the width direction relative to the first conveyor in the handover travel state, wherein the article conveying equipment is configured such that the lower surface of the second conveyor is positioned above the contact surface of the plurality of supports that contacts the bottom surface of the article, the upper end of the first conveyor is positioned above the contact surface of the supports, and each of the plurality of supports is positioned offset in the width direction relative to the first conveyor in the handover travel state.

2. The article conveying equipment according to claim 1, further comprising a third conveyor for conveying the articles along the conveying direction, wherein the third conveyor is positioned downstream of the second conveyor in the conveying direction, is inclined downward 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, and the state of the transport vehicle traveling toward the third conveyor from the upstream side in the conveying direction relative to the third conveyor in order to receive the articles supported by the third conveyor is defined as the receiving travel state, and each of the plurality of supports is positioned offset in the width direction relative to the third conveyor in the receiving travel state.

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

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 when the receiving and traveling state is reached.

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

6. The article conveying equipment according to any one of claims 1 to 4, comprising a pair of guide members for guiding the position of the article in the width direction, wherein the pair of guide members are arranged in a 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 distance between them in the width direction gradually narrows as they move downstream in the conveying direction.

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