JP2019104588A - Conveying device - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a conveying device capable of reliably detecting the presence or absence of a load at an approaching destination of an arm of a transfer device with a simple construction.SOLUTION: In a conveying device, a stacker crane 3 comprises a traveling carriage 23 and a transfer device 29. The transfer device 29 is mounted on the traveling carriage 23 and executes transfer of a plurality of loads W between racks 11 on which the loads W are placed. The transfer device 29 has a first side arm 31 and a second side arm 33, a first sensor 91, and a crane control unit 81. The first side arm 31 and the second side arm 33 have a predetermined width in the crosswise direction, and move back and forth in the front-back direction to execute transfer of the loads W between the racks 11. The first sensor 91 has a detection range smaller than the predetermined width in the crosswise direction and the detection range is parallel to the front-back direction. By moving the first sensor 91 in the crosswise direction, the crane control unit 81 detects the presence or absence of the load W within the predetermined width of the second side arm 33 at the advanced and retreated positions of the second side arm 33 in the crosswise direction by the first sensor 91.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 11

Description

  The present invention relates to a transfer device, and more particularly to a transfer device having a transfer device having a pair of side arms.

A conventional automated warehouse includes, for example, a pair of racks, a stacker crane, a warehousing station, and a delivery station. The pair of racks are provided with a predetermined interval in the front-rear direction. The stacker crane is provided movably in the left-right direction between the front and rear racks. The loading station is located to the side of one rack. The delivery station is disposed to the side of the other rack. The rack has a number of shelves vertically and horizontally.
As a transfer apparatus, the side arm type transfer apparatus provided with a pair of side arm is known. The transfer device is provided at a lifting platform of a stacker crane. In this transfer device, a pair of side arms are extended on both sides of the load placed on a shelf or the like, and both sides of the load are hooked by the pair of side arms, or the load is sandwiched by the pair of side arms. The load is transferred to the elevator platform by shrinking (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

JP, 2016-113239, A

  By the way, the position of the load placed on the shelf may be shifted in the traveling direction of the stacker crane. In that case, if the pair of side arms are extended to the shelf side to transfer the load from the shelf to the elevator platform side, the side arms hit the load, and as a result, the load can not be transferred to the elevator platform side.

Therefore, in the conventional side arm type transfer device, in order to determine whether the side arm interferes with the load, the transfer device is stopped at the transfer position and then confirmed by the gapless detection sensor. ing. Specifically, the gapless detection sensor is mounted on the side arm, and emits a linear laser beam to the rack side to detect whether there is a gap into which each side arm can enter. It is a sensor. Then, if the reflection of the laser beam is detected, it is determined that "the load is at the moving position of the arm".
However, in the above case, the transfer device is stopped at a specific position and then the presence or absence of a load is confirmed. Therefore, depending on the arrangement of the sensor and the detection range, the sensor indicates that the load is at the moving position of the arm. It may not be detected.
In Patent Document 1, the plurality of laser sensors are turned in the horizontal direction, but in this case, there is a problem that the number of parts increases and the control becomes complicated.

  An object of the present invention is to reliably detect the presence or absence of a load at an approach destination of an arm of a transfer device with a simple configuration in a transfer device.

  Below, a plurality of modes are explained as a means to solve a subject. These aspects can be arbitrarily combined as needed.

The transport device according to the first aspect of the present invention includes a traveling unit and a transfer device.
The traveling unit travels along the first direction.
The transfer device is mounted on the traveling unit, and transfers the load between the loading unit and a loading unit on which a plurality of loads are loaded.
The transfer device has a first arm and a second arm, at least one detector, and a controller.
The first arm and the second arm have a predetermined width with respect to the first direction, and move back and forth with respect to the second direction orthogonal to the first direction to move the load between the first arm and the mounting portion. Transfer.
The at least one detector has a detection range smaller than a predetermined width with respect to the first direction, and the detection range is parallel to the second direction.
The controller moves the first detector, which is one of the at least one detector, in the first direction, whereby the first arm in the advanced / retracted position of at least one of the first arm and the second arm in the first direction is moved. Alternatively, the presence or absence of a load within a predetermined width of the second arm is detected by the first detector.

In this transport apparatus, by moving the first detector in the first direction, the load of the load within the predetermined width of the first arm or the second arm at the advancing / retracting position of the first arm or the second arm in the first direction The presence or absence can be detected. As a result, it is not necessary to increase the number of sensors or to use a wide-angle sensor.
The transport device is, for example, a stacker crane or a shuttle carriage.
Also, a specific method of moving the first detector in the first direction is, for example, running the traveling unit, moving the first arm or second arm equipped with the detector with respect to the traveling unit, And moving the mount of the detector relative to the traveling part.

The first detector may be provided to the first arm.
When the controller causes the traveling unit to travel such that the first arm is on the front side, when traveling the traveling unit, the presence or absence of the load within the predetermined width of the second arm at the advancing / retracting position of the second arm in the first direction It may be detected by the first detector.
In this transport apparatus, the sensor at the front in the traveling direction can detect the presence or absence of a load at the approach destination of the rear arm.

The controller may detect the presence or absence of a load within a predetermined width of the first arm at the advancing / retracting position of the first arm in the first direction by the first detector at the time of stopping operation of the traveling unit. Note that “at the time of stop operation” includes before and after the stop operation.
In this transport device, one sensor can detect the presence or absence of a load at the entry destination of both arms.

The at least one detector may have a second detector. The second detector may be provided on the second arm.
When the controller causes the traveling unit to travel such that the first arm is on the front side,
The first detector detects the presence or absence of a load within a predetermined width of the first arm at the advancing / retracting position of the first arm in the first direction,
The presence or absence of a load within a predetermined width of the second arm at the advancing and retracting position of the second arm in the first direction may be detected by the second detector.
In this transport apparatus, even if the sensor on the front side in the traveling direction fails to detect the presence or absence of the load at the approach destination of the rear arm (that is, even if the load at the position to be originally detected can not be detected), The rear sensor can detect that there is a load on the rear arm's entry point.

The first detector may be provided at the innermost portion of the transfer device in the first direction in the first arm.
The first arm moves relative to the traveling portion between the advancing / retreating position and the arm outer position at which the first detector is located at the outermost portion or further outside of the first arm when located at the advancing / retreating position It may be possible.
The controller moves the first arm to the arm outer position when the traveling unit stops operation for transfer, and at that time detects the presence or absence of the load within the predetermined width of the first arm by the first detector. May be
In this transport apparatus, by making the arm movable, it is possible to detect the presence or absence of an outer load using a sensor provided at the innermost portion of the arm without traveling the traveling unit.

The arm outer position may be a position where the first detector is located at the outermost position of the first arm when it is located at the advancing and retracting position.
In this transport apparatus, the presence or absence of a load within a predetermined width can be efficiently detected by moving the arm until the detector is positioned at an outer position in the width of the arm. That is, the detection time is shortened because the detection is not performed to the outside of the predetermined width or more.

The second detector may be provided at the outermost part or further to the transfer device in the first direction in the second arm.
The second arm may be provided at a first direction fixed position of the traveling unit.
When the controller causes the traveling unit to travel such that the second arm is on the front side with respect to the first direction,
During traveling of the traveling unit, the second detector detects the presence or absence of a load within a predetermined width of the second arm at the advancing / retracting position of the second arm in the first direction,
The first detector may detect the presence or absence of a load within a predetermined width of the first arm at the advancing / retracting position of the first arm in the first direction.
In this transport apparatus, even if one arm is fixed, the presence or absence of a load within the width of the arm at the advancing / retracting position can be detected when traveling by providing a detector at the outermost part of the arm or further outside.

  In the transfer apparatus according to the present invention, the presence or absence of the load at the entry destination of the arm of the transfer apparatus can be reliably detected with a simple configuration.

The outline top view of the automatic warehouse where the side arm type transfer equipment of a 1st embodiment was adopted. It is an II-II arrow line view of FIG. 1, and is a figure for demonstrating a rack and a stacker crane. It is an III-III arrow line view of FIG. 1, and is a figure for demonstrating a rack and a stacker crane. The model top view which shows operation | movement of a side arm type transfer equipment. The model top view which shows operation | movement of a side arm type transfer equipment. The model top view which shows operation | movement of a side arm type transfer equipment. The model top view which shows operation | movement of a side arm type transfer equipment. A block diagram showing control composition of a stacker crane. The flowchart which shows the loading control operation of the transfer equipment. The model top view which shows operation | movement of a side arm type transfer equipment. The model top view which shows operation | movement of a side arm type transfer equipment. The model top view which shows operation | movement of a side arm type transfer equipment. The model top view which shows operation | movement of the side arm type transfer equipment of 2nd Embodiment. The model top view which shows operation | movement of the side arm type transfer equipment of 2nd Embodiment. The model top view which shows operation | movement of the side arm type transfer equipment of 3rd Embodiment. The model top view which shows operation | movement of the side arm type transfer equipment of 3rd Embodiment.

1. First Embodiment (1) Automatic Warehouse An automatic warehouse 1 according to a first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 3. FIG. 1 is a schematic plan view of the automatic warehouse 1. FIG. 2 is a view on arrow II-II in FIG. 1 and is a view for explaining the rack and the stacker crane. FIG. 3 is a view on arrow III-III in FIG. 1 and is a view for explaining the rack and the stacker crane. The left and right direction in FIG. 1 is the left and right direction (arrow Y) of the automatic warehouse 1 and coincides with the traveling direction of the stacker crane 3 (described later). The vertical direction in FIG. 1 is the front-rear direction (arrow X) of the automatic warehouse 1 and coincides with the transfer direction of the side arm transfer device 29 (described later).
The automated warehouse 1 mainly includes a front rack 2a and a rear rack 2b, and a stacker crane 3 traveling between them.

(2) Front Rack and Rear Rack The front rack 2a and the rear rack 2b are disposed in front of and behind the traveling path 5 so as to sandwich the traveling path 5 of the stacker crane 3 extending in the left-right direction. The front rack 2a and the rear rack 2b are provided with a large number of first columns 7 aligned left and right at a predetermined distance on the travel path 5 side, and a large number of second columns supported in a lateral direction at the opposite side of the travel path 5 9 and a number of shelves 11 provided between the adjacent first support 7 and second support 9.
On the lowermost shelf 11 on the left side of the front rack 2a, a warehousing station 17 for warehousing the load W is disposed. On the lowermost shelf 11 on the left side of the rear rack 2b, a delivery station 19 for delivering the load W is disposed.

(3) Stacker Crane As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, an upper guide rail 21 a and a lower guide rail 21 b are provided along the traveling path 5. The stacker crane 3 is guided movably in the left-right direction on the upper guide rail 21a and the lower guide rail 21b. The stacker crane 3 transports the load W between the large number of shelves 11, the loading station 17 and the unloading station 19.
As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the stacker crane 3 includes a side arm type transfer device 29, a traveling carriage 23 for causing the side arm type transfer device 29 to travel in the left-right direction, and a side arm type transfer device 29. It has the raising / lowering part 10 to which it raises / lowers.
The traveling carriage 23 has left traveling wheels 23a and right traveling wheels 23b at both end portions in the left-right direction. The left traveling wheel 23a and the right traveling wheel 23b are rotatably supported by the traveling carriage 23 by bearings, and travel on the lower guide rail 21b.

As shown in FIG. 3, the traveling carriage 23 is guided to the lower guide rail 21b by the front guide rollers 23c and the rear guide rollers 23d disposed at both ends of the lower guide rail 21b. The front guide roller 23c is disposed at the same position as the rear guide roller 23d with the lower guide rail 21b interposed therebetween in FIG. The right traveling wheel 23 b is driven by the traveling motor 87.
The elevating unit 10 has a left mast 25a and a right mast 25b extending in the vertical direction. The left mast 25a and the right mast 25b are fixed to the inside of the left traveling wheel 23a and the right traveling wheel 23b of the traveling truck 23.

A lifting platform 27 constituting a part of the side arm type transfer device 29 is mounted on the left mast 25 a and the right mast 25 b provided on the traveling carriage 23 so as to be able to move up and down. A mechanism (for example, a lift motor 89 (see FIG. 8) or the like) for moving the lift table 27 up and down is a known technique.
In addition, a control panel 80 in which a crane control unit 81 (described later) for controlling the stacker crane 3 is accommodated is attached to the right mast 25b.

(4) Side Arm Transfer Device The side arm transfer device 29 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 4 is a schematic plan view showing the side arm type transfer device.
A side arm type transfer device 29 (hereinafter referred to as "transfer device 29") is attached to the lift 27 and transfers the load W between the loading station 17, the rack 11 and the unloading station 19. However, FIG. 4 is a figure for demonstrating only the left-right direction movement operation of the transfer equipment 29, and the structure of the raising / lowering parts 10, such as the raising / lowering stand 27, etc. is abbreviate | omitted.

The transfer device 29 has a main body 30, a first side arm 31 and a second side arm 33. The main body portion 30 is a stationary fixing member fixed to or integrally formed with the elevating platform 27 and constitutes a mounting surface of the load W in the transfer device 29.
For example, a belt conveyor (not shown) may be disposed in the main body 30 of the transfer device 29. The belt conveyor cooperates with the transfer device 29.
With the above configuration, the transfer device 29 can be moved in the horizontal direction by the traveling carriage 23 and can transfer the load W between the rack 11 on which the plurality of loads W are placed.

(4-1) Side Arm As shown in FIG. 4, the first side arm 31 and the second side arm 33 are disposed on the elevating table 27 with a predetermined distance in the left-right direction. As described later, the first side arm 31 and the second side arm 33 are configured so as to be extensible and contractible on both sides in the front-rear direction, and thus can access the racks 11 on both the front and rear sides.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the first side arm 31 and the second side arm 33 each have a base member 35 and a top member 37. The base member 35 is provided on the main body 30. The top member 37 is disposed inside in the left-right direction with respect to the base member 35 and is held by the base member 35 slidably in the front-rear direction.

The top member 37 has a predetermined width in the left-right direction, and can enter the shelves 11 on both sides in the front-rear direction by advancing and retracting in the front-rear direction.
The slide drive mechanism for sliding the top member 37 in the front-rear direction with respect to the base member 35 is a known technique, and thus the description thereof is omitted.

(4-2) Hook As shown in FIG. 4, the hook top member 37 is provided with a first hook 73 and a second hook 74. These can be pivoted between an engagement position projecting inward in the left-right direction and a non-engagement position projecting in the upper direction. The first hook 73 is provided at one end of the top member 37 in the front-rear direction, and the second hook 74 is provided at the opposite end in the front-rear direction.
The first hook 73 and the second hook 74 are moved between the engaged position and the non-engaged position by the hook drive motor 95 (FIG. 8).

(4-3) Sensor The transfer device 29 is provided with a first sensor 91 (an example of a first detector), a second sensor 92, a third sensor 93 and a fourth sensor 94 (hereinafter collectively referred to) In the case of explaining, it is called "four sensors 91 to 94").
The four sensors 91 to 94 are all TOF (Time Of Flight) sensors, and can detect the presence or absence of an object at a predetermined distance from the four sensors 91 to 94. The sensor is, for example, an infrared sensor or a visible light sensor, and may be a laser sensor or the like.

Each of the four sensors 91 to 94 is directed in the front-rear direction, and can emit beams parallel to the front-rear direction. That is, the detection range is parallel to the front-rear direction.
The detection range of each of the four sensors 91 to 94 is smaller than the predetermined width of the top member 37 in the left-right direction.

The first sensor 91 detects whether or not a portion where the first side arm 31 enters the right side of FIG. 4 of the load W on the shelf 11 on the one side (the upper side in FIG. 4) in the front-rear direction (skima detection) Is a sensor for The first sensor 91 is attached to one end of the first side arm 31 in the front-rear direction. The first sensor 91 is provided at a position not interfering with the movement of the top member 37 in the base member 35, specifically, at the outermost side of the top member 37 with respect to the transfer device 29 in the left-right direction. Note that the outermost side of the top member 37 is an outer position at a predetermined width of the top member 37.
The second sensor 92 detects whether or not a portion to which the second side arm 33 enters the left side of FIG. 4 of the load W on the shelf 11 on the opposite side in the front-rear direction (the upper side in FIG. 4) is detected (skimmer detection) Is a sensor for The second sensor 92 is attached to one end of the second side arm 33 in the front-rear direction. The second sensor 92 is provided at a position not interfering with the movement of the top member 37 in the base member 35, specifically, the outermost side of the top member 37 with respect to the transfer device 29 in the left-right direction.

The third sensor 93 detects whether or not a portion where the first side arm 31 enters on the right side in FIG. 4 of the load W on the shelf 11 on the one side (the lower side in FIG. 4) in the front and rear direction (skima detection) Is a sensor to The third sensor 93 is attached to the other end of the first side arm 31 in the front-rear direction. The third sensor 93 is provided at a position not interfering with the movement of the top member 37 in the base member 35, specifically, at the outermost side of the top member 37 with respect to the transfer device 29 in the left-right direction.
The fourth sensor 94 detects whether or not the portion to which the second side arm 33 enters the left side of the load W on the shelf 11 on the opposite side (the lower side in FIG. 4) in the front-rear direction (skimmer detection) Is a sensor to The fourth sensor 94 is attached to the other end of the second side arm 33 in the front-rear direction. The fourth sensor 94 is provided at a position on the base member 35 which does not interfere with the movement of the top member 37, specifically, on the outermost side of the top member 37 with respect to the transfer device 29 in the left-right direction.
The four sensors 91 to 94 may be provided on the top member 37 or the elevator 27.
Further, “the sensors are provided at the innermost and outermost portions of the top member 37” means that the sensors are provided at positions where the innermost and outermost portions of the top member 37 can be detected.

(5) General Operation of Transfer Device The general operation of the transfer device 29 will be described with reference to FIGS. 4 to 7. 5 and 6 are schematic plan views showing the operation of the side arm type transfer device. The loading operation will be described below.
In FIG. 4, the transfer device 29 is stopped at a target position for transferring.

Next, as shown in FIG. 5, the top members 37 of the first side arm 31 and the second side arm 33 enter the side of the shelf 11 and are disposed on both sides of the load W.
Next, as shown in FIG. 6, the first hook 73 is pivoted to move to the rear side (engagement position) of the load W.
Finally, as shown in FIG. 7, the first side arm 31 and the second side arm 33 contract to draw the load W into the main body 30 of the transfer device 29.

(6) Control Configuration The control configuration of the stacker crane 3 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 8 is a block diagram showing a control configuration of the stacker crane.
The stacker crane 3 has a crane control unit 81. The crane control unit 81 is mounted on a control panel 80 of the stacker crane 3. The crane control unit 81 can communicate with a host controller 82 that controls the entire automated warehouse 1.
The crane control unit 81 includes a processor (for example, CPU), a storage device (for example, ROM, RAM, HDD, SSD, etc.), and various interfaces (for example, A / D converter, D / A converter, communication interface, etc.) It is a computer system which it has. The crane control unit 81 performs various control operations by executing a program stored in the storage unit (corresponding to a part or all of the storage area of the storage device).

The crane control unit 81 may be configured by a single processor, but may be configured by a plurality of independent processors for each control.
Some or all of the functions of the components of the crane control unit 81 may be implemented as a program that can be executed by a computer system that constitutes the crane control unit 81. In addition, a part of the function of each element of the crane control unit 81 may be configured by a custom IC.

The crane control unit 81 controls the traveling and stopping of the traveling carriage 23, the traveling control unit 81a that controls the traveling and stopping of the traveling carriage 23, the elevation control unit 81b that performs the elevation control of the elevation table 27, and the transfer control that performs the transfer control of the transfer device 29. It has a section 81c as a functional configuration.
A traveling motor 87 is connected to the traveling control unit 81a. A lift motor 89 is connected to the lift control unit 81b.

The slide motor 90 and the hook drive motor 95 of the transfer device 29 are connected to the transfer control unit 81c.
Furthermore, four sensors are connected to the crane control unit 81. Thus, the crane control unit 81 can determine the presence or absence of an object on the irradiation line of the four sensors 91 to 94.

  Although not shown, a rotary encoder for detecting the amount of movement of the side arm, a sensor and a switch for detecting the state of each device, and an information input device are connected to the crane control unit 81.

(7) Loading Control Operation The loading control operation of the transfer device will be described using FIGS. 9 to 12. FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing the loading control operation of the transfer device. 10 to 12 are schematic plan views showing the operation of the side arm type transfer device.
The control flowchart described below is an example, and each step can be omitted and replaced as necessary. Also, multiple steps may be performed simultaneously, or some or all may be performed overlapping.

Furthermore, each block of the control flowchart is not limited to a single control operation, and can be replaced with a plurality of control operations represented by a plurality of blocks.
Note that the operation of each device is the result of an instruction from the control unit to each device, and these are represented by each step of the software application.

As shown in FIG. 10, the loading target is the load W1, and the first OFF range A and the second OFF range B are set on both sides thereof. The first OFF range A is disposed on the front side in the traveling direction of the second OFF range B. An ON range C is between the first OFF range A and the second OFF range B. The first OFF range A and the second OFF range B can be obtained from the width information of the load W1 instructed from the upper controller 82 by calculating the range in which the crane control unit 81 determines that there is no gap abnormality. The ON range C is a region in which the first sensor 91 does not judge an abnormality even when the detection result is turned ON when the irradiation region is in it.
In step S1, the transfer device 29 moves horizontally from the near side of the target position toward the target position at the same height as the target shelf 11. That is, before the step S1, the lift table 27 is moved to the target shelf 11 height, that is, the movement of the lift table 27 is completed. In this case, as shown in FIG. 10, the first side arm 31 is on the front side in the traveling direction.
In step S2, as shown in FIG. 10, it is determined whether the irradiation area of the first sensor 91 has entered the second OFF range B or not. Specifically, the crane control unit 81 makes the above determination based on a detection signal from a sensor (not shown).

In step S3, it is determined whether the irradiation area of the first sensor 91 has come out of the second OFF range B. Specifically, the crane control unit 81 makes the above determination based on a detection signal from a sensor (not shown).
In step S4, detection by the first sensor 91 is started, and it is determined whether the first sensor 91 is turned on.
That is, the crane control unit 81 moves the first sensor 91 in the left-right direction, whereby the predetermined width of the top member 37 of the second side arm 33 at the advancing / retracting position of the top member 37 of the second side arm 33 in the left-right direction. The first sensor 91 detects the presence or absence of the load W inside. Therefore, the presence or absence of the load W within the width of the top member 37 of the second side arm 33 can be detected. As a result, it is not necessary to increase the number of sensors or to use a wide-angle sensor.

In step S5, it is determined whether the transfer device 29 has reached the target position. Specifically, the crane control unit 81 makes the above determination based on a signal from a sensor (not shown).
In step S6, the transfer device 29 stops traveling (that is, stops at the target position). Specifically, the traveling control unit 81a controls the traveling motor 87 to execute the above operation.
In step S7, abnormality processing is performed. Specifically, the crane control unit 81 sends an alarm to the host controller 82 and stops its operation.

In step S8, it is determined whether the transfer device 29 has reached the target position. Specifically, the crane control unit 81 makes the above determination based on a signal from a sensor (not shown).
In step S9, the transfer device 29 stops traveling (that is, stops at the target position). Specifically, the traveling control unit 81a controls the traveling motor 87 to execute the above operation.

In step S10, it is determined whether the first sensor 91 is turned on (whether or not there is a load in the irradiation area of the first sensor 91) with the transfer device 29 stopped at the target position. Specifically, the crane control unit 81 makes the above determination based on the detection signal from the first sensor 91. That is, at the time of the stop operation of the transfer device 29, the crane control unit 81 moves the load of the load within the predetermined width of the top member 37 of the first side arm 31 at the advancing and retracting position of the top member 37 of the first side arm 31 in the lateral direction. The presence or absence is detected by the first sensor 91. Therefore, in this embodiment, the presence or absence of the load of the approach destination of the first side arm 31 and the second side arm 33 can be detected by one sensor.
Note that “at the time of the stop operation of the transfer device 29” includes before and after the stop operation of the transfer device 29. Specifically, as in the present embodiment, when the sensor is provided at the outermost portion or the outer position of the top member 37, the advancing / retreating position of the top member 37 is detected when the transfer device 29 travels. In another embodiment, when the sensor is provided on the inside including the top member 37, the transfer device 29 is overrun from the original stop position to detect the advanced / retracted position of the top member 37, or The side arm 31 is moved.

In step S11, a loading operation is performed. Specifically, the operation described in FIGS. 5 to 7 is performed.
As described above, when the transfer control unit 81 c causes the traveling carriage 23 to travel such that the first side arm 31 is on the front side, the second side arm 33 in the left-right direction can be moved when the transfer device 29 travels. The first sensor 91 detects the presence or absence of a load within a predetermined width of the top member 37 of the second side arm 33 at the advancing and retreating positions.

When the load W1 overlaps the second OFF range B as shown in FIG. 10, the first sensor 91 is turned ON at step S4, as shown in FIG. And a process transfers to step S5, step S6, and step S7.
The second OFF range B is set as a left-right direction range in which no gap detection should normally be OFF. That is, if no gap detection by the first sensor 91 is turned on in the second OFF range B, the top member 37 of the second side arm 33 is the shelf 11 with the transfer device 29 stopped at the target position as shown in FIG. The load W1 will be at the position where it collides when entering the side.

2. Second Embodiment In the first embodiment, only the detection of the second OFF range B by the first sensor 91 is essential, but in addition to the control operation of the first embodiment, other detection operations may be performed. .
Such an embodiment will be described using FIGS. 13 and 14. 13 and 14 are schematic plan views showing the operation of the side arm type transfer device of the second embodiment.
The transfer device 29 is provided with a first sensor 91A, a second sensor 92, a third sensor 93A, and a fourth sensor 94 (hereinafter referred to collectively as "four sensors 91A, 92, 93A , 94 ").

The first sensor 91A is a sensor for detecting (skimmer detection) whether or not the part to which the first side arm 31 enters can be secured on the right side of the load W in FIG. The first sensor 91 </ b> A is attached to one end of the first side arm 31 in the front-rear direction. The first sensor 91A is provided at a position not interfering with the advancing and retracting of the top member 37 in the lift platform 27, specifically, at the innermost portion of the top member 37 with respect to the transfer device 29 in the left and right direction.
The second sensor 92 is a sensor for detecting whether or not a portion where the second side arm 33 enters on the left side of the load W in FIG. 13 can be secured (skimmer detection). The second sensor 92 is attached to one end of the second side arm 33 in the front-rear direction. The second sensor 92 is provided at a position not interfering with the movement of the top member 37 in the base member 35, specifically, at the outermost part or further outside the transfer device 29 in the left and right direction in the top member 37 There is.

The third sensor 93A is a sensor for detecting (skimmer detection) whether or not a portion to which the first side arm 31 enters can be secured on the right side of the load W in FIG. The third sensor 93 </ b> A is attached to the other end of the first side arm 31 in the front-rear direction. The third sensor 93A is provided at a position not interfering with the movement of the top member 37 in the lift platform 27, specifically, in the innermost portion of the top member 37 with respect to the transfer device 29 in the left-right direction.
The fourth sensor 94 is a sensor for detecting whether or not a portion where the second side arm 33 enters on the left side of the load W in FIG. 13 can be secured (skimmer detection). The fourth sensor 94 is attached to the other end of the second side arm 33 in the front-rear direction. The fourth sensor 94 is provided at a position not interfering with the movement of the top member 37 in the base member 35, specifically, at a position further outside the outermost portion of the top member 37 with respect to the transfer device 29 in the left and right direction. There is.

During traveling immediately before the transfer device 29 stops at the target position, the transfer control unit 81c of the crane control unit 81 causes the first sensor 91A to advance and retract the first side arm 31 in the left-right direction in the first OFF range A. The presence or absence of the load within the predetermined width of the first side arm 31 at is detected.
Further, during traveling immediately before the transfer device 29 stops at the target position, the crane control unit 81 causes the second sensor 92 to set the second side at the advancing / retracting position of the second side arm 33 in the left-right direction in the second OFF range B. The presence or absence of a load within a predetermined width of the arm 33 is detected.
Therefore, as in the first embodiment, when the first sensor 91A fails to detect the presence or absence of the load at the approach destination of the second side arm 33 (that is, it can detect the load W at the position to be originally detected). Even if it does not exist, the second sensor 92 can detect the load of the approach destination of the second arm. As a result, the presence or absence of the load of the approach destination of the 1st side arm 31 and the 2nd side arm 33 can be detected certainly.

An example of the detection operation of the presence or absence of the load of the approach destination of the first side arm 31 by the first sensor 91A will be described using FIGS. 13 and 14.
In this embodiment, the first side arm 31 is movable in the lateral direction within a predetermined range with respect to the main body of the transfer device 29. That is, the first side arm 31 can approach and move away from the second side arm 33.

The first side arm 31 is a first sensor at the lateral outside position D of the first side arm 31 when the first side arm 31 is positioned at the advanced / retracted position from the advanced / retracted position (FIG. 13) with respect to the main body 30 of the transfer device 29. It can move to the outside position (FIG. 14) where 91A is located. That is, when the transfer device 29 is stopped for transfer, the transfer control unit 81c moves the first side arm 31 to the lateral position in the lateral direction, and at that time, the crane control unit 81 controls the first side arm. The presence or absence of the load W within a predetermined width of 31 is detected by the first sensor 91A. The movement of the first side arm 31 to the laterally outward position may be performed before the transfer device 29 stops. Accordingly, as shown in FIG. 13, the crane control unit 81 can not detect the load W at which the top member 37 of the first side arm 31 extends to the side of the shelf 11 at the advancing and retreating position, as shown in FIG. Can be detected by
As described above, by making the first side arm 31 movable with respect to the main body 30, it is provided inside the top member 37 of the first side arm 31 without traveling the entire transfer device 29. The presence or absence of the external load W can be detected using the first sensor 91A.

In this embodiment, the left-right direction outer position D at which the first side arm 31 stops is an outer position of the top member 37 of the first side arm 31 at the predetermined width when the first side arm 31 is at the advanced / retracted position. Is the position where In this case, the presence or absence of the load within the predetermined width can be efficiently detected. That is, the detection time is shortened because the detection is not performed to the outside of the predetermined width or more.
If there is no problem in the detection time, the first side arm 31 may be moved to the outside further than the above position.
The detection operation of the presence or absence of the load of the entry destination of the second side arm 33 by the second sensor 92 is, for example, movement of the entire transfer device 29 inward in the left-right direction after the target position is stopped, the main body of the second side arm 33 The movement may be performed by an inward movement in the left-right direction with respect to 30 or other operations.

3. Third Embodiment A third embodiment will be described using FIGS. 15 and 16. FIG.15 and FIG.16 is a schematic plan view which shows operation | movement of the side arm type transfer equipment of 3rd Embodiment. The third embodiment can execute part or all of the first embodiment and the second embodiment, and further has the following configuration and function.
In this embodiment, as in the first and second embodiments, the second sensor 92 is located at the outermost portion or further outside of the top member 37 of the second side arm 33 with respect to the transfer device 29 in the left-right direction. Provided in The second side arm 33 is provided at a fixed position in the left-right direction of the main body 30 of the transfer device 29.

In the following description, unlike the first embodiment and the second embodiment, the transfer device 29 travels toward the target position so that the second side arm 33 of the transfer device 29 is on the front side with respect to the left-right direction. Explain the case of The crane control unit 81 determines whether or not the load is within a predetermined width of the top member 37 of the second side arm 33 at the advancing / retracting position of the second side arm 33 in the second OFF range B when the transfer device 29 travels. Is detected by the second sensor 92. This is possible because the second sensor 92 is provided further outside the top member 37 of the second side arm 33, although the second side arm 33 is fixed.
As a result, as shown in FIG. 16, the load W which can not be detected at the advancing and retreating position but collides with the top member 37 of the second side arm 33 at the advancing and retreating position can be detected at the inner position.
The method of detecting the presence or absence of the load W1 within the predetermined width of the top member 37 of the first side arm 31 at the advancing and retracting position of the first side arm 31 in the left and right direction is, for example, the entire transfer device 29 after the target position is stopped. It may be performed by movement, movement of the first side arm 31 relative to the main body 30, and other operations.

4. Common items in the embodiment The transfer device (for example, the stacker crane 3) includes a traveling unit (for example, the traveling carriage 23) and a transfer device (for example, the transfer device 29).
The traveling unit travels along a first direction (for example, the left and right direction).
The transfer device is mounted on the traveling unit, and transfers the load to / from a mounting unit (for example, the rack 11) on which a plurality of loads (for example, the load W) are mounted.
The transfer device includes a first arm (for example, the first side arm 31) and a second arm (for example, the second side arm 33), at least one detector (for example, the first sensor 91), and a controller (for example, , And crane control unit 81).
The first arm and the second arm have a predetermined width in the first direction, and move back and forth in a second direction (e.g., the front-rear direction) orthogonal to the first direction to move the mounting unit. Transfer the load between
The at least one detector has a detection range smaller than a predetermined width with respect to the first direction, and the detection range is parallel to the second direction.
The controller moves the first detector (e.g., the first sensor 91), which is one of the at least one detector, in the first direction, thereby causing the second arm to move in the first direction. The presence or absence of a load within a predetermined width of the arm is detected by the first detector.

In this transport apparatus, the presence or absence of a load within the width of the arm can be detected by moving the first detector in the first direction. As a result, it is not necessary to increase the number of sensors or to use a wide-angle sensor.
The transport device is, for example, a stacker crane (first embodiment) or a shuttle carriage.
In addition, a specific method of moving the detector in the first direction is, for example, running the traveling unit (for example, first to third embodiments) and moving the arm relative to the traveling unit (for example, Second Embodiment) The detector mounting may be moved.

5. Other Embodiments Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and various modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the invention. In particular, the embodiments and modifications described herein may be arbitrarily combined as needed.
Although the sensor is provided on the base member in the above embodiment, the sensor may be provided on another member such as an elevator and a top member.
Although the side arm type transfer apparatus of the above embodiment is an apparatus for transferring one load, it may be possible to transfer the load to two places on the front side and the back side of the load storage shelf. .

The side arm type transfer device of the above embodiment is a rear hook type in which the load W is transferred using a hook, but a clamp type in which the load is pinched by the arm or an arm close to the load to the load engaging portion A manner of engaging the hooks may be used.
In the above embodiment, the side arm type transfer device is provided on the stacker crane and is movable in the vertical direction, but the invention is not limited thereto. For example, a side arm type transfer device may be disposed at each stage of the front rack and the rear rack. In this case, the side arm type transfer device has a shuttle carriage as an example of the traveling unit, and the arms are arranged on the shuttle carriage. The side-arm transfer device is configured to be movable in the left-right direction in each stage by the shuttle carriage. As described above, when the side arm type transfer device is disposed at each stage, the elevator platform is not provided as in the stacker crane, and the shuttle carriage is provided as an example of the traveling unit.
In the pair of side arms, both bases may be provided at fixed positions in the lateral direction, or only one side arm may be movable in the lateral direction, or both side arms may be movable in the lateral direction It may be.

  The present invention can be widely applied to a transfer device having a transfer device having a pair of side arms.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1: Automatic warehouse 2a: Front rack 2b: Rear rack 3: Stacker crane 5: Traveling path 7: First support 9: Second support 10: Lifting unit 11: Shelf 17: Receiving station 19: Delivery station 21a: Upper guide rail 21b: lower guide rail 23: traveling carriage 23a: left traveling wheel 23b: right traveling wheel 23c: front guide roller 23d: rear guide roller 25a: left mast 25b: right mast 27: elevator platform 29: side arm type transfer device 30 : Main body 31: First side arm 33: Second side arm 35: Base member 37: Top member 73: First hook 74: Second hook 80: Control board 81: Crane control section 81a: Travel control section 81b: Elevating Control unit 81c: Transfer control unit 82: Host controller 87: Traveling motor 89: Lifting motor 91: First Capacitors 92: the second sensor 93: the third sensor 94: fourth sensor A: No. 1OFF Range B: The 2OFF Range C: ON Range W: Load

Claims (7)

A traveling unit traveling along the first direction;
And a transfer device for transferring a load to and from a loading unit mounted on the traveling unit and on which a plurality of loads are loaded;
The transfer device is
A first arm that transfers a load with the placement unit by having a predetermined width with respect to the first direction and advancing and retracting with respect to a second direction orthogonal to the first direction; The second arm,
At least one detector whose detection range is smaller than the predetermined width with respect to the first direction and whose detection range is parallel to the second direction;
By moving a first detector, which is one of the at least one detector, in a first direction, the first one of the first arm and the second arm in the first direction can be moved back and forth. A controller that detects presence or absence of a load within a predetermined width of an arm or the second arm by the first detector;
A transport device comprising: The first detector is provided to the first arm,
When the controller causes the traveling unit to travel such that the first arm is on the front side, the controller causes the predetermined position of the second arm to move in the first direction when the traveling unit travels. The transfer apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the presence or absence of a load within the width is detected by the first detector.   The controller detects the presence or absence of a load within the predetermined width of the first arm at the advancing / retracting position of the first arm in the first direction, at the time of the stop operation of the traveling unit, by the first detector. The conveyance apparatus of claim 2. The at least one detector comprises a second detector,
The second detector is provided to the second arm,
The controller causes the traveling unit to travel such that the first arm is on the front side.
The first detector detects the presence or absence of a load within the predetermined width of the first arm at the advanced / retracted position of the first arm in the first direction,
The transport apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the second detector detects the presence or absence of a load within the predetermined width of the second arm at the advancing and retracting position of the second arm in the first direction. . The first detector is provided at an innermost portion of the first arm relative to the transfer device in a first direction,
The first arm is disposed between the advancing and retracting position and the arm outer position at which the first detector is located at the outermost portion or the outer position of the first arm when positioned at the advancing and retracting position. Is movable against
The controller moves the first arm to the arm outer position when the traveling unit stops operation for transfer, and at that time, the presence or absence of the load within the predetermined width of the first arm is determined. The transport apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, which is detected by a first detector.   The transport apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the arm outer position is a position at which the first detector is positioned at an outermost position of the first arm when positioned at the advancing and retracting position. The second detector is provided at the outermost part or further outside of the transfer device in the first direction in the second arm,
The second arm is provided at a first direction fixed position of the traveling unit,
The controller causes the traveling unit to travel such that the second arm is on the front side with respect to the first direction.
During traveling of the traveling unit, the second detector detects the presence or absence of a load within the predetermined width of the second arm at the advancing / retreating position of the second arm in the first direction,
The transport apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the first detector detects presence or absence of a load within the predetermined width of the first arm at an advancing and retreating position of the first arm in a first direction.

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