JP2008230843A - Control method for carriage - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a control method for a carriage capable of responding to articles of various sizes by using minimal sensors. <P>SOLUTION: A pair of optical sensors S1, S4 for detecting protrusion of an article from the carriage T are arranged in both end parts in a flowing direction of a conveyor of the carriage T, and second optical sensors S2, S3 for detecting end parts of the article are arranged in a position in the vicinity of the optical sensors S1, S4 and nearer to the center in the flowing direction of the conveyor. After a conveyor station ST and the conveyor of the carriage T are simultaneously driven to start transfer of the article to the upper face of the carriage T, with the second optical sensor (S2) on the article carrying-in side detecting an article, when the first optical sensor (S1) on the article carrying-in side does not detect an article, the conveyor on the carriage T is stopped. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a method for controlling a transport carriage having a transfer device, and more particularly to an efficient control method for AGV, traverser, etc. having a transfer device on a carriage.

  For example, in a factory or the like, an induction line (conveyance route) for electromagnetic induction is laid on the floor according to a predetermined layout, and an automatic guided vehicle (AGV or the like) that travels along the induction line is introduced. ing. The automatic guided vehicle loads articles (luggage) at a predetermined fixed station, travels along a guide line to a designated station, and performs unloading at the station (see Patent Document 1 and the like).

  In addition, in a delivery (relay) center that moves goods in a factory and handles a large amount of luggage, an automated guided vehicle (traverser, etc.) that reciprocates on a predetermined travel route (track or rail) and its travel A transfer device composed of a plurality of stations installed on one side or both sides of a route is used (see Patent Document 2).

3 to 5 are schematic configuration diagrams of a conventional conveying cart that travels on a conveying path and a conveying device that includes a station for transferring an article to the conveying cart.
This transport device is composed of a traverser T that reciprocates on a predetermined travel route (track: traverser rail R), and a plurality of stations ST that are installed on one or both sides in the longitudinal direction of the rail. Further, a conveyor (a roller conveyor in this example) is provided on the upper part (upper surface) of the traverser T and each station ST, and on the conveyor according to a command from a separately provided centralized control device (not shown). Goods (packages) or articles placed on a pallet are delivered.

  For example, when a load A to be moved to another station is placed on the conveyor of the station ST, the traverser T moves to a predetermined position facing the station ST in accordance with a command from the central control device. When it is confirmed that the traverser T has stopped at a predetermined position, the conveyors of the station ST and the traverser T are driven, and a load is loaded on the traverser T. When such a package is moved, the barcode data attached to the package is read or the package data (delivery destination, size, length, etc.) input by the worker is transferred from the station ST to the traverser T. Are transmitted at the same time (see Patent Document 3 and the like).

  The traverser T to which the load has been transferred moves on the rail R toward the designated station, and stops at a predetermined position facing the corresponding station. Thereafter, the traverser T and each conveyor of the station are driven, and the package arrives at another station.

  By the way, the transport device as described above is usually designed to be able to handle various sizes (lengths) of packages, and is transported on a transport cart such as an AGV or a traverser as shown in FIG. A plurality of sets of a pair of optical sensors (S12 and S15, S13 and S14) for detecting the length (both ends) of the load in the conveyor direction are arranged according to the type (size) of the load to be performed. In addition, the sensors (S11 and S16) located at both ends in the flow direction of the conveyor are provided for detecting the protrusion of the luggage from the carriage.

For example, in a traverser T capable of transporting two types of large and small packages A and B, in the case of a large package A, when the photoelectric sensors S12 and S15 are simultaneously turned on (FIG. 5 (a)), In this case, when the photoelectric sensors S13 and S14 are simultaneously turned on (FIG. 5B), the conveyor on the traverser T is stopped. Therefore, these loads are controlled so as to stop at substantially the center of the body of the transport carriage (in the direction orthogonal to the transport path, that is, near the center in the longitudinal direction of the station).
JP 2006-79319 A JP 2003-76422 A JP 2006-62790 A

  However, in the transport apparatus having the above-described configuration, when the types of articles to be transferred (packages), pallets, and the like increase, sensors for detecting both ends thereof are used as the types of the sizes (lengths) of the articles. There was a problem that the control had to be complicated because it was necessary to prepare only for the number of minutes.

  In addition, since it is necessary to confirm that the article to be transported has reached the approximate center of the transport carriage, movement to the other station of the transport carriage (AGV, traverser, etc.) cannot be started. ) When an article is conveyed, there is also an adverse effect that the conveyance cycle becomes long.

  The present invention has been made to address the above-described problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a method for controlling a transport carriage that can handle articles of various sizes with a minimum number of sensors.

  In order to achieve the above object, the invention according to claim 1 is directed to a method of controlling a transport carriage that conveys an article transferred from a conveyor station fixed on the ground onto a conveyor of the carriage along a predetermined path. The transport carriage includes a pair of first optical sensors for detecting the protrusion of the article from the transport carriage at both ends in the flow direction of the conveyor, and in the vicinity of the first optical sensors and A second optical sensor for detecting the end of the article is provided near the center in the flow direction of the conveyor, and the conveyor station and the conveyor of the carriage are simultaneously driven to move the article on the carriage. When the second optical sensor detects an article after the transfer to the vehicle is started, and when the first optical sensor no longer detects the article, And wherein the stopping bare.

  The present invention uses a transfer carriage such as a conveyor to load an article on a carriage, and uses only the position information of the article loading side end so that the article is not centered in the center of the conveyor. It is intended to be transported.

  That is, according to the first aspect of the present invention, the first optical sensor for detecting the protrusions disposed at both ends in the flow direction of the conveyor of the transport carriage and the center of the conveyor of the first optical sensor are located near the center of the conveyor. The second optical sensor detects an article using a signal from the arranged second optical sensor for detecting an end, and the first optical sensor By stopping the conveyor on the transport carriage when the article is no longer detected, it is possible to start traveling in the shortest time without moving the article (package) to the center of the conveyor.

  Therefore, according to the control method of the transport carriage of the present invention, even when a small (short length) article is transported, it is not necessary to wait for the completion of the article transfer (centering), and the operation cycle (cycle time) is reduced. It can be shortened.

  In addition, since the articles are not centered on the conveyor, even when articles of various sizes (lengths) are conveyed, the conveyance carriage does not need to be provided with a large number of sensors corresponding to the length of each article. Large articles and small articles can be transferred by the same control method. Therefore, the method for controlling the transport carriage according to the present invention can reduce the manufacturing cost of the transport carriage, and can also simplify the control method.

  As described above, according to the control method of the transport carriage of the present invention, it is possible to realize a transport carriage that can handle articles of various sizes at a low cost by using a minimum number of sensors and a simple control mechanism. Can do.

  Further, the drive time and waiting time of the conveyor of the transport carriage are shortened, the efficiency of the entire process is improved, and the energy consumption can be reduced by shortening the conveyor drive time.

Hereinafter, embodiments for carrying out the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a transport apparatus including a transport cart according to an embodiment of the present invention and a station for transferring an article to the transport cart.

  The transport apparatus in this embodiment is also composed of a traverser T that reciprocates on a predetermined travel route (traverser rail R) and a plurality of stations ST that are installed on one side or both sides in the longitudinal direction of the rail. Roller conveyors are respectively disposed on T and the upper part (upper surface) of each station ST. In addition, the transport carriage is configured to deliver an article (package) on each roller conveyor or an article placed on a pallet in response to a command from a central control device (not shown) provided separately. As in the conventional example, when the package is moved, the input package data (delivery destination) is simultaneously transmitted from the station ST to the traverser T.

  The feature of the transport carriage in this embodiment is that the first optical sensors S1 and S4 for detecting the protrusion are arranged at both ends of the traverser T in the flow direction, and the conveyors of the first optical sensors S1 and S4. The second optical sensors S2 and S3 for detecting the end portion of the load are disposed near the center in the flow direction. In addition, although there is an optical sensor S5 for confirming the presence of goods between the second optical sensors S2 and S3, the optical sensor S5 for confirming the presence of luggage is installed, but more than the first optical sensors S1 and S4. In addition to the second optical sensors S2 and S3, no sensor for specifying the position of the load is installed near the center of the conveyor flow direction.

Next, a method for controlling the traverser T will be described.
For example, in FIG. 1, when a certain size of luggage or pallet is transferred to the traverser T from the left side of the figure, as in the conventional example, after confirming the stop of the traverser T at a predetermined position facing the station ST, The conveyors of the station ST and the traverser T are driven, and loads are loaded on the traverser T.

  At this time, a large load A that has entered the conveyor of the traverser T from the conveyor of the station ST has a first optical sensor S1, a second optical sensor S2 for detecting the end, It is sequentially detected by the stock confirmation optical sensor S5. After that, the transfer of the load progresses, the second optical sensor S2 detects the front end of the load traveling direction, and the first optical sensor S1 stops detecting the load. When in the state, the conveyor on the traverser T is stopped (FIG. 1A).

  In the case of a small baggage B as well, the transfer of the baggage proceeds, the second optical sensor S2 detects the front end of the baggage in the traveling direction, and the first optical sensor S1. When the vehicle no longer detects the load, the conveyor on the traverser T is stopped. However, in this case, the difference from the conventional example is that the baggage stops at a position close to the conveyor station ST used for loading (position near the station ST) without being centered in the center of the conveyor flow direction. (FIG. 1 (b)).

  Therefore, according to the control method of the transport carriage in the present embodiment, the next station is loaded with the shortest waiting time even when a small (short) article is loaded without centering the article to be loaded on the transport carriage in the center of the conveyor. You can start moving to.

  Further, according to the control method of the transport carriage in this embodiment, it is possible to complete the transfer of the article with the minimum number of sensors and a simple control mechanism by using only the position information of the loading side end. become.

  In addition, according to the control method of the conveyance trolley | bogie in this embodiment, also when unloading the loaded article to another conveyor station, the drive time of the conveyor on the conveyance trolley after arrival is shortened, and it is suitable.

  In addition, as shown in FIG. 2, when the conveyor station to be unloaded is located on the opposite side of the conveyor station ST for loading articles and the transport path (traverser rail R), the transport carriage is moved while the traverser T is moving. The upper conveyor is driven, and the article (package) may be moved to a position where the second optical sensor S3 for end detection on the opposite side of the conveyor flow direction detects the end of the article. With this method, unloading can be completed in the shortest time even when unloading the load to the opposite side of the transport path.

  In the above embodiment, the traverser traveling on the rail has been described as an example. However, in addition to the transport device having a track, the transport device according to the present invention uses a so-called electromagnetic induction method or a self-supporting guide method. In some cases, an unmanned transfer device (such as AVG) that does not have the above is used.

  Moreover, the conveyor which moves articles | goods is not specifically limited, In addition to the said roller conveyor, a belt conveyor etc. can also be used. Furthermore, in addition to the above-described method using radio waves, a method of transmitting using light may be used for transmission of package data (such as a delivery destination).

It is a schematic block diagram of the conveying apparatus which consists of the conveyance trolley in embodiment of this invention, and the conveyor station which transfers articles | goods to this conveyance trolley. It is a figure explaining the case where the conveyance trolley | bogie in embodiment of this invention unloads to another conveyor station. It is a schematic block diagram of the conveying apparatus which consists of the conventional conveyance trolley which drive | works on a conveyance path | route, and the conveyor station which transfers articles | goods to this conveyance trolley. It is a figure explaining the method to transfer articles | goods to the traverser T from a conveyor station. In the conventional conveyance apparatus, it is a figure explaining the control method which stops the conveyor on a conveyance trolley, (a) represents the case of the big load A, (b) represents the case of the small load B.

Explanation of symbols

T traverser ST conveyor station S1-S5 optical sensor S11-S16 optical sensor C1, C2 communication means

Claims (1)

A method for controlling a transport carriage that conveys an article transferred from a conveyor station fixed on the ground onto a conveyor of a carriage, along a predetermined path,
The transport carriage includes a pair of first optical sensors that detect protrusions of articles from the transport carriage at both ends in the flow direction of the conveyor, and the flow of the conveyor is in the vicinity of the first optical sensors. A second optical sensor for detecting an end of the article is provided near the center of the direction, respectively,
After the conveyor station and the conveyor of the transfer carriage are simultaneously driven to start transferring the article onto the transfer carriage, the second optical sensor detects the article and the first A method for controlling a transport carriage, comprising: stopping the conveyor on the transport carriage when the optical sensor no longer detects an article.

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