TW201900526A - Item transport equipment - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to an article transport facility having a concurrent section where a plurality of tracks are running parallel, which is for transporting articles by using an article transportation vehicle having a support body capable of going in and out in the width direction perpendicular to an extension direction of the track. The present invention suppresses an increase in costs and degradation of a transportation efficiency, and prevents the article transportation vehicle from being in contact in the concurrent section. When a projected position of the support body projected from one side track from the concurrent section is in a position interfering a driving space of the article transportation vehicle traveling on other side track, an interference management area including at least the position where the traveling space and the support body are interfering by corresponding to a transportation mount target point is set. When one article transportation vehicle is implementing transportation mount operation, entrance of other article transportation vehicle is prohibited to the interference management area.

Description

Goods handling equipment

FIELD OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to an article transporting apparatus that allows a plurality of article transport vehicles to travel along a track to transport articles between a plurality of transfer destinations.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2009-35403 discloses an example of an article transfer device that moves a plurality of article transfer vehicles along a track to transfer articles between a plurality of transfer target locations. This article transfer device uses an article transfer cart (200) suspended from a ceiling-mounted rail (100) to carry articles (520) in an automated manner (the symbols shown in parentheses in the prior art are patent documents) 1 symbol). As shown in FIG. 2 of the publication, the support portion (230) of the suspended article (520) can not only suspend and lift the article (520) in a state directly below the rail (100) to transfer the article ( 520), and as shown in FIG. 3 of the publication, the article (520) can be suspended and lifted at a position moving in a width direction orthogonal to the extending direction of the track (100) to transfer the article (520) .

However, in most cases, the article transport equipment has parallel tracks. However, in order to improve the efficiency of space use, the interval between the parallel tracks is sometimes set to be narrow. The extent to which an item transport vehicle will not touch, but can be passed by. In this way, when the interval between the parallel tracks is narrow, when one article transport vehicle on one side of the track has the support portion (230) protruding in the width direction, if other article transport vehicles are walking on the other side On the track, there is a possibility that the support portion (230) is in contact with the other article transport vehicle. It is also conceivable to mount an obstacle sensor or the like on each article transport vehicle, but this will increase the cost of the article transport vehicle. In addition, although the number of article transport vehicles that can enter areas with parallel tracks may be limited to one, in this case, the transport efficiency of the article transport equipment may be reduced.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In view of the above-mentioned background, it is desirable to provide a technology for conveying articles using a support having a support body capable of advancing and retreating in a width direction orthogonal to the extending direction of the track in an article conveying device having a plurality of parallel sections in parallel tracks When an article is transported by a car, it is possible to suppress an increase in cost and a decrease in transport efficiency, and to prevent the article transport vehicle from contacting each other in a parallel section.

In view of the above, the article transporting equipment is an article transporting equipment that moves a plurality of article transporting vehicles along a track to transport articles between a plurality of transfer destinations, and one aspect is that the article transporting equipment has The parallel sections of the plurality of tracks are parallel, and a direction along the horizontal plane and orthogonal to the extending direction of the track is taken as a width direction. The article transport vehicle has a support body that advances and retracts between a retracted position and a protruding position to Supporting the aforementioned article, wherein the retracted position is a position returned to the side of the article transport vehicle, and the protruding position is a position protruding along the width direction in accordance with the position of the transfer target location, in one side of the parallel section In the aforementioned track, the projected position when the article transport vehicle protrudes the support according to the position of the transfer target location is a track when the article transport vehicle walks on the track on the other side of the parallel section. That is, in the case where the walking space interferes with the support, the parallel section An interference management area is set. The interference management area corresponds to the transfer target location and includes at least a position where the walking space interferes with the support body. One of the article transport vehicles is moving to the foregoing movement corresponding to the interference management area. When the transfer of the object is carried out, other vehicles for the aforementioned articles are prohibited from entering the interference management area.

According to this configuration, an interference management area is set in a place where the support protruding to transfer an article may come into contact with another article transport vehicle, and one article transport vehicle is performing a transfer operation in the interference management area. At this time, the entry of other goods transport vehicles into the interference management area may be prohibited. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the possibility that the support that protrudes in order to transfer an article may come into contact with another article transport vehicle. Since each of the article transport vehicles does not need to detect the supporting body protruding from the other article transport vehicle by an obstacle sensor or the like, the cost increase due to the installation of the obstacle sensor does not occur. In addition, since the entry restriction of the article transport vehicle is not implemented in all the parallel sections, a decrease in the transport efficiency of the article transport facility can also be suppressed. As described above, according to the present configuration, in an article transporting apparatus having parallel sections having a plurality of tracks in parallel, when an article transporting vehicle having a support body capable of advancing and retreating in a width direction orthogonal to the extending direction of the track is used to transport articles, It is possible to prevent an increase in cost and a decrease in conveyance efficiency, and prevent articles from being brought into contact with each other in the parallel section.

Further features and advantages of the article transport facility will be made clear by the description of the embodiments described below with reference to the drawings.

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention Embodiments of the article transport facility will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 shows a plan view of an article transporting apparatus 100 that transports an article 90 (see FIGS. 2, 3 and the like) in the article transporting vehicle 1. The article transfer facility 100 moves a plurality of article transfer vehicles 1 along a track K to transfer articles 90 between a plurality of transfer target sites S. The transfer target site S is provided with, for example, a storage (not shown) for storing the item 90 or a processing device (not shown) for performing physical / chemical treatment on the item 90. The article transfer facility 100 is provided with an area E, such as an area where storages are gathered, or an area where processing devices are gathered depending on processing contents. FIG. 1 illustrates a configuration in which four regions E (E1 to E4) are set. As shown in FIG. 1, the article transfer facility 100 includes a parallel section PK in which a plurality of tracks K are parallel. The track K is laid in accordance with the arrangement of the storage room or the processing device, that is, the placement of the transfer target site S, and the interval of the track K in the parallel section PK is different according to the characteristics of each area E.

2 and 3 show front views of the article transport vehicle 1 as viewed from the front to the rear along the running direction of the article transport vehicle 1 (the extending direction L of the track K). In the following description, a direction along the horizontal plane and orthogonal to the extending direction L of the track K will be referred to as a width direction W. The article transport vehicle 1 includes a traveling body 9 and a transport body 10 suspended and supported by the traveling body 9. The track K is constituted by a traveling track 2 which is suspended and supported by a ceiling by a suspension member. In this embodiment, two running rails 2 are arranged in parallel in a horizontal plane to constitute a pair of running rails. In addition, the wheels 15 provided on the traveling body 9 roll on the top surface of the traveling rail 2 to thereby cause the traveling body 9 to travel. The wheels 15 are driven by a traveling motor (TRV-MOTOR) M1 (see FIG. 4).

The article transport vehicle 1 is configured to suspend and support an article 90 to be transported by a transport vehicle body 10 suspended and supported on a traveling body 9 to transport the article 90. The article 90 is, for example, a FOUP (Front Opening Unified Pod) that houses a semiconductor substrate, or a photomask box that houses a photomask. The transport vehicle body 10 includes an article support 20 (a support) having an elevating portion 13, a sliding portion 14, a grip portion 18, and an elevating rope 19. The lifting portion 13 is suspended and supported by the sliding portion 14 by a lifting rope 19, and a grip portion 18 is provided below the lifting portion 13. A flange portion 91 is formed on the top surface of the article 90, and the flange portion 91 is held by the grip portion 18 to suspend and support the article 90 to the lifting portion 13.

The article transport vehicle 1 according to the present embodiment performs receiving and receiving of articles 90 between the transfer target sites S directly below and diagonally below the traveling body 9. FIG. 2 shows an example in which the article 90 is transferred between the transfer target sites S directly below the traveling body 9, and FIG. 3 shows an example in which the article 90 is transferred between the transfer target sites S diagonally below the traveling body 9. In addition, the schematic block diagram of FIG. 4 shows the system configuration of the article transport facility 100 and the article transport vehicle 1. When the article 90 is transferred between the transfer target sites S directly below the traveling body 9, as shown in FIG. 2, the grip portion 18 is configured to grip the protrusion of the article 90 by a grip actuator (GRP-ACT) A3. The edge portion 91 is driven to drive the lifting motor 13 (VM-MOTOR) M3 to raise and lower the lifting portion 13 in the vertical direction V, thereby moving the article 90.

When the article 90 is transferred between the transfer target locations S diagonally below the traveling body 9, the sliding portion (SLD-MOTOR) M2 is further driven, as shown in FIG. 14 is moved to the side along the width direction W, and the lifting portion 13 is moved up and down in the up-down direction V at the movement destination, thereby moving the article 90. The article supporting body 20 advances and retracts between a retracted position and a protruding position to support the article 90, wherein the retracted position is a position returned to the side of the article transport vehicle 1, and the protruding position is along the position corresponding to the position S of the transfer object A position protruding in the width direction W. In addition, although only the sliding movement to one side in the width direction W is illustrated here, it is a matter of course that the sliding movement can be performed in both directions.

As shown in FIG. 4, the article transport vehicle 1 includes a transport vehicle control unit (VHL-CTRL) 51. The transport vehicle control unit 51 is configured with a microcomputer or the like as the core and serves as the core of the article transport operation. The article transport vehicle 1 communicates wirelessly through a communication unit (COM-UNIT) 52 and a network 50 with a transport control device (MCP: Material Control Processor) H1, which is the core of the article transport equipment 100. The conveyance vehicle control unit 51 operates (automatically conveys an operation) in accordance with a conveyance instruction from the conveyance management device H1 through an autonomous control (item conveyance operation) to hold and convey the article 90. The above-mentioned traveling motor M1, sliding motor M2, lifting motor M3, and gripping actuator A3 are driven and controlled by the transport vehicle control unit 51. The article transfer action includes: a transfer action to transfer an item 90 between the transfer target sites S; and a walking action to walk on the track K to a target stop position (for example, a third position) corresponding to each transfer target site S Q3: Refer to Figure 8, Figure 9, etc.).

FIG. 5 shows an example of a control protocol of the article transport vehicle 1 performed by the transport management device H1. The position information of the article transport vehicle 1 on the track K is transmitted from each article transport vehicle 1 to the transport management device H1 via the network 50. After the transfer management device H1 determines the transfer target location S of the transfer start point (transfer start point) and transfer destination (transfer destination), it will determine the order for the transfer operation of the article according to the position of each article transfer vehicle 1 To send the transport instruction (INST) to the article transport vehicle 1. The article transport vehicle 1 that has received the transport instruction sends an acknowledgement (ACK) of the transport instruction to the transport management device H1.

The transfer management device H1 proceeds to the transfer destination S based on the current position of the article transfer vehicle 1, the location of the transfer destination S of the transfer start point, the state of the track K (blocked state or presence or absence of restrictions), and the like. Calculation of the route ($ 1), and the route instruction (R-INST) is sent to the article transport vehicle. The path command may be included in the transport command. The article transport vehicle 1 that has received the route instruction may start the self-discipline control walking according to the route instruction. The article transfer vehicle 1 desirably sends a departure response (DEP) to the transfer management device H1 at the time of departure. The transport management device H1 may calculate the route again and send a route command ($ 2) when the state of the track K has changed after the article transport vehicle 1 has departed. For example, due to the departure of the article transport vehicle 1, the use of the track K near the transfer target site S (including the parallel track K in the parallel section PK), etc., the transport management device H1 can make the article transport vehicle 1 Priority is given to use ($ 2 (details will be described later with reference to FIGS. 6 to 9 etc.)).

When the article transport vehicle 1 reaches the target stop position (for example, the third position Q3) corresponding to the transfer target point S, it sends an arrival response (ARV) indicating that it has arrived to the transport management device H1. The transfer management device H1 determines whether the transfer can be started based on the surrounding conditions of the transfer target site S (the details will be described later), and if the transfer can be started, a transfer permission instruction (PMT) is sent to the article transfer vehicle 1 ($ 3). In particular, as described above with reference to FIG. 3, if the article 90 is transferred between the transfer target sites S that are diagonally below the traveling body 9, the operation range of the article support 20 will be widened, and therefore the transportation management device H1 performs The judgment is important.

The article transfer vehicle 1 that has received the transfer permission instruction will send a transfer start response (T-START) and start the transfer. The transport management device H1 performs calculations ($ 4) for updating information such as the location of the item 90, for example. When the article transfer vehicle 1 finishes transferring the article 90, it sends a transfer completion response (T-CMPLT). The transport management device H1 performs route calculation (for example, $ 5) to the transfer destination point S of the transfer destination. After that, by repeating the above-mentioned processing, the article 90 can be transferred and transferred to the transfer target location S of the transfer destination.

However, as described above with reference to FIG. 1, there is a parallel section PK in which the tracks K are parallel in the article transfer facility 100. For the purpose of improving space use efficiency and the like, when the vaults or processing devices are closely arranged, the transfer target sites S corresponding to these vaults or processing devices are also closely arranged. Since the track K is laid in accordance with the transfer target site S, in the parallel section PK, the interval of the track K may be narrowly set so that the article transport vehicles 1 running on the parallel track K may not face each other. The extent of contact but passing by.

However, as described above with reference to FIG. 3, the article transport vehicle 1 may transfer the article 90 at a position moving from the rail K to the width direction W in some cases. If the distance between the parallel rails K is narrow, the article support 20 protruding in the width direction W may come into contact with other article transport vehicles 1. FIG. 6 shows an example in which the article transport vehicle 1 (the first transport vehicle 1A or the third transport vehicle 1C) transfers the article 90 to the side track K (the first track K1) in the parallel section PK. When the loading target site S (the first transfer target site S1 or the second transfer target site S2), the other article transport vehicle 1 (the second transport vehicle 1B or the fourth transport vehicle 1D) walks on the other track K (the 2 track K2) example.

When the article 90 is transferred between the first transfer target locations S1, the article support 20 (sliding portion 14) extending in the width direction W is the article transfer vehicle 1 (here, the first 2 The transport spaces SP of the transport vehicles 1B) overlap. Therefore, for example, when the first transfer vehicle 1A is transferring the item 90 between the first transfer target locations S1 on the first track K1, if the second transfer vehicle 1B passes the second track K2, the first transfer vehicle 1A There is a possibility that the article supporting body 20 and the second transport vehicle 1B are in contact with each other. Therefore, when the first transport vehicle 1A is being transferred, it is desirable to restrict the travel of the second track K2.

FIG. 7 shows an example in which the travel of the second track K2 is restricted. That is, in the parallel section PK, an interference management area Z is set, and the interference management area Z corresponds to the first transfer target point S1 and includes at least the walking space SP and the article support of the article transport vehicle 1 in the second track K2. The position where the body 20 interferes. Further, in the track K, in order to manage the travel and the like of the article transport vehicle 1, position information P such as an address, a coordinate, and the like is allocated. The track K as a whole is divided into a plurality of unit sections B based on the position information P. In this embodiment, two pieces of position information P are listed to indicate a unit interval B between the two pieces of position information P. For example, the unit interval B between the first position information P1 and the second position information P2 is expressed as a first unit interval B12. The interference management area Z is set by including at least one unit section B corresponding to the unit section B corresponding to the transfer target point S. In the forms illustrated in FIGS. 6 and 7, the first unit section B12 corresponding to the first transfer target point S1 is set as the interference management area Z.

On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 6, when an article 90 is transferred between the second transfer target sites S2, the article support 20 (sliding portion 14) extending in the width direction W and walking on the second track K2 The traveling space SP of the article transport vehicle 1 (here, the fourth transport vehicle 1D) does not overlap. Therefore, when the third transfer vehicle 1C in the first track K1 is transferring the item 90 between the second transfer target locations S2, even if the fourth transfer vehicle 1D passes the second track K2, the item of the third transfer vehicle 1C The support body 20 is still not in contact with the fourth transport vehicle 1D. Therefore, even if the third transfer vehicle 1C is transferring, it is not necessary to restrict the travel of the second track K2. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 7, the interference management area Z corresponding to the second transfer target point S2 may not be set.

When the interference management area Z is set as described above, when one article transfer vehicle 1 is moving to the transfer target point S corresponding to the interference management area Z, the transfer management device H1 prohibits other article transfer vehicles 1. Enter this interference management area Z. For example, when the first transfer vehicle 1A shown in FIG. 6 and FIG. 7 is transferring to the first transfer target point S1 corresponding to the interference management area Z, the transfer management device H1 prohibits the second transfer vehicle 1B and the like. The other article transport vehicle 1 enters the interference management area Z.

As shown in FIG. 1, a plurality of areas E are set in the article transport facility 100, and there is also a large interval between the tracks K in the parallel section PK, and other article transport vehicles 1 and article supports walking on the parallel track K Area E where the body 20 is not in doubt. For example, the interval of the track K in the parallel section PK of the first region E1, the third region E3, and the fourth region E4 is narrow, and there is a possibility of contact with the article support 20, but the second region E2 is in the parallel section. The distance between the tracks K in the PK is large, and there is no possibility of contact with the article support 20. Therefore, for example, in the first area E1, the third area E3, and the fourth area E4, the number of article transport vehicles 1 that can enter the area E is limited to one, thereby avoiding walking in parallel. The other article transport vehicle 1 of the track K is in contact with the article support 20. However, in this case, the work efficiency of the article transport vehicle 1 in each area E may be reduced, and the work efficiency of the entire article transport facility 100 may be reduced. By setting the interference management area Z corresponding to each transfer target site S, it is possible to suppress a decrease in work efficiency in each area E.

However, even when one article transfer vehicle 1 is performing a transfer operation to the transfer target location S corresponding to the interference management area Z, the transfer management device H1 will prohibit other article transfer vehicles 1 from entering the interference management area Z. However, as long as it is possible to allow other article transport vehicles 1 to enter the interference management area Z before the transfer operation is performed. Therefore, for example, in FIG. 7, when the second transfer vehicle 1B first enters the interference management area Z, when the first transfer vehicle 1A arrives at the transfer target location S and performs the transfer operation, the first transfer vehicle 1A There is a possibility that the article supporting body 20 and the second transport vehicle 1B are in contact with each other.

As described above, the article transfer vehicle 1 starts the transfer operation after receiving the transfer permission instruction (PMT) from the transfer management device H1. Therefore, in a state where the first transfer vehicle 1A can start the transfer operation to the first transfer target site S1 corresponding to the interference management area Z, and only one other item transfer vehicle (for example, When the second transfer vehicle 1B and the like exist, the transfer management device H1 reserves the transmission of the transfer permission instruction. The transfer management device H1 prohibits the entry of other article transfer vehicles 1 into the interference management area Z after all other article transfer vehicles 1 exit the interference management area Z, and permits the first transfer vehicle 1A to be moved.

However, even if the second transport vehicle 1B wants to withdraw from the interference management area Z, it may not be able to proceed, for example, if it is prohibited from entering the other interference management area Z ahead, or if the front track K is blocked. Since the second transfer vehicle 1B cannot exit the interference management area Z, the transfer management device H1 will be unable to issue a transfer permission instruction to the first transfer vehicle 1A. In addition, if the first transportation vehicle 1A stops due to the transfer operation, the first transportation vehicle 1A will stop waiting for the transfer permission instruction, so the congestion will not be eliminated, and the second transportation The car 1B also becomes unable to move forward, and becomes a state called a deadlock.

Therefore, there is an upper limit on the time that the first transfer vehicle 1A waits for a transfer permission instruction. For example, if one article transfer vehicle 1 (the first transfer vehicle 1A) can start the transfer operation to the first transfer target point S1 corresponding to the interference management area Z, even if a predetermined standby time has elapsed If other article transport vehicles (the second transport vehicle 1B, etc.) still exist in the interference management area Z, they will exit the interference management area Z without performing a transfer operation, and tour the track K to return to the target stop. Position (for example, the third position Q3). The exit and tour may be performed autonomously as self-discipline control in each article transport vehicle 1, or it may be measured after the transport management device H1 receives the arrival response (ARV) from the article transport vehicle 1, and After the waiting time has elapsed, a form of sending an exit instruction (tour instruction) to the article transport vehicle 1 is provided. When the jam is eliminated by the movement of the first transport vehicle 1A, the second transport vehicle 1B can exit the interference management area Z. In addition, when the deadlock is eliminated, when the first transfer vehicle 1A returns, the transfer management device H1 can send a transfer permission instruction to the first transfer vehicle 1A.

In the above description, the following configuration has been described: When one article transfer vehicle 1 is performing a transfer operation to the transfer target location S corresponding to the interference management area Z, the transfer management device H1 prohibits other article transfer vehicles 1 from entering This interference management area Z. However, if the occurrence of a pause as described above is also taken into consideration, it is desirable to prevent other article transport vehicles 1 from approaching the interference management area Z as much as possible. Therefore, when the article transfer operation to a certain transfer target location S is assigned to one article transfer vehicle 1, it is desirable to restrict other article transfer vehicles 1 from walking in the interference management area Z corresponding to the transfer location S in. For example, when the transport management device H1 allocates the operation of transporting articles to the first transfer target location S1 to the first transport vehicle 1A, it is desirable to restrict other article transport vehicles (second transport vehicle 1B, etc.) from correspondingly moving. The interference management area Z of the first transfer target site S1. Hereinafter, description is also made with reference to FIGS. 8 and 9.

FIG. 8 illustrates a case where the transfer management device H1 assigns an item transfer operation to the first transfer target point S1 to the first transfer vehicle 1A. The second transfer vehicle 1B also walks near the first transfer target site S1. The current position of the second transport vehicle 1B is the first position Q1, and the stop target position is the second position Q2 corresponding to the transfer target point S shown by the symbol S10. The stop target position of the first transfer vehicle 1A for performing the article transfer operation to the first transfer target point S1 is the third position Q3. The transport management device H1 calculates the cost after quantifying the load (including the travel distance, the waiting time, the travel time, and the presence or absence of traffic restrictions) on the path in the track K, and selects the path with the lowest cost as much as possible, and sends the path command (R -INST) is sent to each item transport vehicle 1.

There are two types of paths when the second transport vehicle 1B moves from the first position Q1 to the second position Q2. The first path passes the first path L11, the second path L12, and the second path. A path of three channels L13. The second path is a path passing through the first channel L11, the fourth channel L14, the fifth channel L15, the sixth channel L16, and the third channel L13. Here, if all the costs of the channels are regarded as "1", the total cost of the first path is "3", and the total cost of the second path is "5". Therefore, it becomes the first path to be selected as a relatively low cost. However, an interference management area Z is set in the second lane L12, and the interference management area Z is a first transfer target location S1 that is a target corresponding to the transfer operation performed by the first transport vehicle 1A. As described above, when the article transfer operation to the first transfer target location S1 is allocated to the first transfer vehicle 1A, it is desirable to set the restriction condition of the interference management area Z corresponding to the first transfer target location S1 to Active to restrict walking of other article transport vehicles (second transport vehicle 1B, etc.).

If the walking of the interference management area Z is not restricted, the first path including the second channel L12 existing in the interference management area Z will be selected by the path calculation as described above. Then, when the transfer management device H1 assigns the movement operation of the articles to the first transfer target location S1 to the first transfer vehicle 1A, the transfer management device H1 includes the second lane L12 including the interference management area Z corresponding to the first transfer target location S1. The cost increases, for example, "10" is set. The total cost of the first path becomes "12", which is higher than the total cost of the second path "5". As a result, the second route is selected as the route of the second transport vehicle 1B. That is, the channel including the interference management area Z is relatively difficult to be selected, whereby the article transport vehicle 1 becomes less likely to enter the interference management area Z.

Here, when the first transport vehicle 1A arrives at the third position Q3, the cost of the second channel L12 may be further increased, or the connection of the second channel L12 itself may be interrupted (so-called channel cut-off ( lane cut)). For example, by setting the cost to an extremely large value such as "1000", it is possible to give the same effect as blocking. By increasing the cost or channel cut-off, the entry into the interference management area Z can be substantially prohibited. That is, by blocking the second passage L12, as the path when the second transport vehicle 1B moves from the first position Q1 to the second position Q2, it passes through the first passage L11, the second passage L12, and the third passage L13. The first path becomes invalid, and the second path becomes the only path. Therefore, the second transport vehicle 1B does not enter the interference management area Z, and instead moves from the first position Q1 to the second position Q2.

In addition, at the time point when the article transfer operation to the first transfer target location S1 is allocated to the first transfer vehicle 1A, the entry to the interference management area Z can be immediately prohibited, for example, blocking the passage of the second passage L12 . However, when a plurality of routes do not exist as described above, the second transport vehicle 1B cannot move from the first position Q1 to the second position Q2. Or, there may be cases where other paths that are circuitous cause greater total costs. By adding an appropriate cost to the second lane L12, it is possible to select a route including the second lane L12 even if the transfer operation by the first transfer vehicle 1A is completed before the interference with the management area Z, for example. Therefore, the cost of the second lane L12 including the interference management area Z is increased at the time point when the article transfer operation to the first transfer target location S1 is allocated to the first transfer vehicle 1A. When the first transfer vehicle 1A has arrived After the third position Q3, a stepwise restriction is set to prohibit entry into the interference management area Z, so that it is possible to suppress a decrease in the work efficiency of the article transfer facility 100.

The interference management area Z is set in a plurality of locations of the article transport facility 100. As described above, the track K is divided into a plurality of unit sections B as a whole. The interference management area Z is set by including at least one unit section B corresponding to the unit section B corresponding to the transfer target point S. Since the transfer target site S is set in accordance with the arrangement of a storage room, a processing device, or the like, the transfer target site S may correspond to one unit section B in some cases. Therefore, there may be a case where different interference management areas Z share the same unit section B. That is, even the different interference management areas Z corresponding to different transfer target locations may correspond to the same unit section.

FIG. 10 illustrates the relationship between the unit section B and the interference management area Z. As described above with reference to FIGS. 7, 8, 9 and the like, the first interference management area Z1 is set to 1 by a unit section B (first unit section B12) corresponding to the first transfer target point S1. The shape of the interference management area Z. Although the second transfer target site S2 exists at a position corresponding to the second unit section B23, as described above, there is no possibility of contact with the article support 20, and therefore the interference management area Z is not set.

Although the third transfer target point S3 exists at a position corresponding to the third unit section B34, it is close to the boundary with the second unit section B23. Therefore, the third interference management area Z3 corresponding to the third transfer target point S3 is set by both the second unit section B23 and the third unit section B34. In this way, the interference management area Z may be set by a plurality of unit sections B. Furthermore, it is desirable to set the interference management area Z such that the distance between the position corresponding to the transfer target point S and the boundary of the unit section B is equal to or greater than a predetermined set distance. Although a fourth transfer target point S4 also exists near the third transfer target point S3, the position corresponding to the fourth transfer target point S4 is near the center of the third unit section B34. Therefore, the distance from the boundary between two points in the third unit section B34 is equal to or greater than the set distance, and the fourth interference management area Z4 is set by a single unit section B (third unit section B34). The third interference management area Z3 and the fourth interference management area Z4 have the same unit section B, that is, a third unit section B34.

The fifth transfer target site S5 and the sixth transfer target site S6 are respectively disposed at positions corresponding to different unit intervals B, that is, the fourth unit interval B45 and the fifth unit interval B56. However, the distance between the position corresponding to the fifth transfer target point S5 belonging to the fourth unit interval B45 and the boundary of the fifth unit interval B56 is less than the set distance, and the distance corresponding to the sixth transfer target belonging to the fifth unit interval B56. The distance between the position of the point S6 and the boundary of the fourth unit section B45 is smaller than the set distance. Therefore, the fifth interference management area Z5 corresponding to the fifth transfer target point S5 includes not only the fourth unit section B45 but also the fifth unit section B56. The sixth interference management area Z6 corresponding to the sixth transfer target point S6 includes not only the fifth unit section B56 but also the fourth unit section B45. That is, although the fifth interference management area Z5 and the sixth interference management area Z6 are interference management areas Z corresponding to different transfer target locations S, the same areas are set.

As described above, there may be a case where the interference management area Z is set with the same unit section B, and there may be a case where different interference management areas Z are all set with the same unit section B. Of course, because the transfer target location S corresponding to each interference management area Z is different, there will be restrictions on the interference management area Z containing the same unit interval B at the same time (increased cost of the channel, channel cut (Prohibited), etc.). Restrictions like this have the potential to cause the aforementioned deadlock. Therefore, for the transfer target locations S each corresponding to a different interference management area Z including the same unit section B, it is desirable that the transfer of the articles 90 performed by the different article transport vehicles 1 does not overlap with the same Period. Specifically, the transfer management device H1 does not transfer the articles 90 that are assigned to the different interference management areas Z that include the same unit section B, and are assigned to the different article transport vehicles 1 Overlaps the same period and sends a transfer instruction (INST).

As described above, in the article transfer device 100 having a parallel section PK in parallel with a plurality of tracks K, the article transfer is performed using an article support 20 having an article support 20 that can advance and retreat in a width direction W orthogonal to the extension direction L of the track K. When the vehicle 1 comes to transport the article 90, it is possible to suppress an increase in cost and a decrease in the transport efficiency, and to prevent the article transport vehicle 1 from coming into contact in the parallel section PK. In addition, although the ceiling conveyance vehicle was demonstrated as the article conveyance vehicle 1 in the above, the article conveyance vehicle 1 may be a conveyance vehicle which walks on the ground.

[Outline of Embodiment] The following briefly describes the outline of the article transfer facility described above.

An article transporting device is an article transporting device that moves a plurality of article transporting vehicles along a track to transport articles between a plurality of transfer target locations, and in one aspect, the article transporting device has a plurality of the aforementioned tracks The parallel parallel section uses a direction along the horizontal plane and orthogonal to the extending direction of the track as a width direction. The article transport vehicle has a support body that advances and retracts between a retracted position and a protruding position to support the article. The retracted position is a position returned to the side of the article transport vehicle, and the protruding position is a position protruding in the width direction in accordance with the position of the transfer target location in the track on one side of the parallel section. The protruded position when the support body protrudes due to the position of the object transfer vehicle in accordance with the position of the transfer target location is the trajectory of the object transport vehicle when walking on the rail on the other side of the parallel section, that is, the walking space and In the case where the support bodies interfere with each other, an interference tube is set in the parallel section Management area, the interference management area corresponds to the transfer object location and includes at least a position where the walking space interferes with the support body, and one of the article transport vehicles is moving toward the transfer object corresponding to the interference management area When the place is moved, other transportation vehicles for the aforementioned articles are prohibited from entering the interference management area.

According to this configuration, an interference management area is set in a place where the support protruding from the object and another article transport vehicle are likely to come in contact with each other when the article is being transported. , The entry of other goods transport vehicles into the interference management area may be prohibited. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the possibility that the support that protrudes in order to transfer an article may come into contact with another article transport vehicle. Since each of the article transport vehicles does not need to detect the supporting body protruding from the other article transport vehicle by an obstacle sensor or the like, the cost increase caused by the installation of the obstacle sensor does not occur. In addition, since the entry restriction of the article transport vehicle is not implemented in all the parallel sections, a decrease in the transport efficiency of the article transport facility can also be suppressed. As described above, according to this configuration, in an article transporting apparatus having a plurality of parallel sections with parallel tracks, when an article transporting vehicle having a support body capable of advancing and retracting in a width direction orthogonal to the extending direction of the tracks can be used to transport articles It is possible to prevent an increase in cost and a decrease in conveyance efficiency, and prevent articles from being brought into contact with each other in the parallel section.

Here, it is preferable that the article transporting vehicle is an article transporting vehicle that performs an article transporting operation, and the article transporting operation includes: the aforementioned transporting operation for transporting the article between the object transfer location and the transporting location; and The walking action of walking on the aforementioned track to the target stop position corresponding to each of the aforementioned transfer target places, and when the aforementioned article transfer action to the transfer target site is assigned to one of the aforementioned article transfer vehicles, other aforementioned items are restricted The transport vehicle walks in the interference management area corresponding to the transfer target site.

For example, when entry into the interference management area is prohibited, the article transport vehicle may temporarily stop before interfering with the management area, waiting for the end of the transfer operation performed by other article transport vehicles. If the article transport vehicle is stopped, the transport efficiency of the article transport equipment may be reduced. In most cases, an article transport vehicle can walk to a destination through a number of different paths. In a case where the suitability of the interference management area has been limited, it is sometimes possible to walk to the destination earlier by temporarily passing through other paths than temporarily stopping before interfering with the management area. By restricting the situation of walking in the interference management area, it becomes easy to bypass the interference management area in advance and walk toward the destination, where the interference management area is a transfer target location corresponding to the object to be moved by the article.

In addition, it is desirable that one of the aforementioned article transport vehicles can start the transfer operation corresponding to the aforementioned transfer target location corresponding to the aforementioned interference management area, and only one of the other aforementioned goods can be present in the interference management area. When a transport vehicle exists, after all other aforementioned article transport vehicles exit the interference management area, the entry of other aforementioned article transport vehicles into the interference management area is prohibited, and the aforementioned transfer operation is permitted.

Prior to imposing entry restrictions or walking restrictions on the interference management area, there may be an article transport vehicle in the interference management area. In this case, the article transport vehicle will be supported by the article transport vehicle that performs the transfer operation. The possibility of physical contact. Therefore, it is desirable that the article transport vehicle existing in the interference management area performs the transfer operation after the interference management area is withdrawn.

In addition, it is desirable that, in a state in which one of the article transportation vehicles can start the transfer operation to the corresponding transfer target location in the interference management area, and only one other in the interference management area is required. When the aforementioned article transport vehicle exists, after all other aforementioned article transport vehicles have exited the interference management area, the entry of other aforementioned article transport vehicles into the interference management area is prohibited, and if the aforementioned transfer operation is permitted, In a state where one of the aforementioned article transport vehicles can start the aforementioned transfer operation to the corresponding aforementioned transfer target location in the aforementioned interference management area, the other aforementioned article transport vehicles still exist in the interference even after a predetermined waiting time has elapsed. When the area is under management, the aforementioned transfer operation is not performed but exit from the interference management area.

For example, the article transport vehicle that is waiting for the start of the transfer operation may stop and cause a blockage. This may prevent other article transport vehicles existing in the interference management area from exiting the interference management area. It is a state called a deadlock. If the goods transfer vehicle that is waiting for the start of the transfer operation temporarily leaves the location and returns after patrolling, the pause will be eliminated and the transfer can be performed afterwards. That is, if the removal of the jam causes other article transport vehicles existing in the interference management area to exit from the interference management area, when the article transport vehicle to be transferred is returned, the transfer operation can be started quickly. .

It is also preferable that one aspect is that the entirety of the track is divided into a plurality of unit sections, and the interference management area includes at least one of the unit sections by including the unit section corresponding to the transfer target location. It is set, and different aforementioned interference management areas may share the same aforementioned unit interval.

In most cases, in order to manage the movement of the article transport vehicle in the track, an address or a coordinate is allocated, and a plurality of unit intervals are set by the address or the coordinate. After the interference management area is set based on the unit interval, the behavior of the article transport vehicle with respect to the interference management area can be appropriately managed. However, generally speaking, the positional relationship between the transfer target location and the unit section is not necessarily the same. For example, there may be a case where a plurality of transfer target sites exist in one unit section, or a case where a transfer target site exists near a boundary between adjacent unit sections. That is, even in different interference management areas corresponding to different transfer target locations, there may be cases where they correspond to the same unit section. Therefore, if different interference management areas can share the same unit section, the interference management area can be appropriately set.

In addition, when different interference management areas share the same unit interval to be set, it is preferable that the transfer target locations corresponding to different interference management areas that include the same unit interval are allocated. The transfer of the aforementioned articles by different aforementioned article transport vehicles does not overlap in the same period.

When a plurality of article transport vehicles are assembled in the vicinity, they cause jams and become prone to a state called a standstill as described above. If the transfer destinations corresponding to different interference management areas that include the same unit section do not overlap the transfer of items assigned to different item transfer vehicles, the multiple item transfer vehicles will It becomes difficult to gather, and the possibility of a pause or the like can be reduced.

1‧‧‧ Goods Transfer Vehicle

1A‧‧‧The first transfer vehicle

1B‧‧‧The second transport vehicle

1C‧‧‧3rd Transporter

1D‧‧‧The fourth transport vehicle

2‧‧‧ walking track

9‧‧‧ walking body

10‧‧‧ transport vehicle body

13‧‧‧ Lifting Department

14‧‧‧ sliding section

15‧‧‧ Wheel

18‧‧‧ holding section

19‧‧‧ Lifting rope

20‧‧‧ Article support

50‧‧‧Internet

51‧‧‧ transport vehicle control unit

52‧‧‧Communication Unit

90‧‧‧ items

91‧‧‧ flange

100‧‧‧ Goods handling equipment

$ 1 ~ $ 5‧‧‧ steps

A3‧‧‧Grip actuator

ACK‧‧‧Receiving confirmation

ARV‧‧‧ arrived in response

B‧‧‧Unit interval

B12‧‧‧1st unit interval

B23‧‧‧Unit 2 interval

B34‧‧‧Unit 3 interval

B45‧‧‧The fourth unit interval

B56‧‧‧The fifth unit interval

DEP‧‧‧ departure response

E‧‧‧Area

E1‧‧‧Area 1

E2‧‧‧Zone 2

E3‧‧‧Region 3

E4‧‧‧Area 4

H1‧‧‧Transportation management device

INST‧‧‧Transportation instruction

K‧‧‧ track

K1‧‧‧ Track 1

K2‧‧‧ Track 2

L‧‧‧ extension direction

L11‧‧‧Channel 1

L12‧‧‧Channel 2

L13‧‧‧Channel 3

L14‧‧‧Channel 4

L15‧‧‧Channel 5

L16‧‧‧Channel 6

M1‧‧‧ Traveling Motor

M2‧‧‧Sliding motor

M3‧‧‧ Motor for driving lift

P‧‧‧Location

P1‧‧‧1st position information

P2‧‧‧ 2nd position information

PK‧‧‧ Parallel interval

PMT‧‧‧ Transfer permission instruction

Q1‧‧‧1st position

Q2‧‧‧ 2nd position

Q3‧‧‧3rd position

R-INST‧‧‧ Path Command

S, S10‧‧‧‧ Place of transfer

S1‧‧‧The first transfer destination

S2‧‧‧The second transfer destination

S3‧‧‧ Third transfer destination

S4‧‧‧ The fourth transfer destination

S5‧‧‧The fifth transfer destination

S6‧‧‧The sixth transfer destination

SP‧‧‧ Walking space

T-CMPLT‧‧‧ Transfer completed response

T-START‧‧‧Transfer response

V‧‧‧ Up and down direction

W‧‧‧Width direction

Z‧‧‧ Interference management area

Z1‧‧‧The first interference management area

Z3‧‧‧The third interference management area

Z4‧‧‧The fourth interference management area

Z5‧‧‧The fifth interference management area

Z6‧‧‧The 6th interference management area

FIG. 1 is a plan view of an article transport facility. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example in which articles are transferred between transfer target locations directly below the article transport vehicle. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example in which articles are transferred between transfer target locations diagonally below the article transport vehicle. FIG. 4 is a schematic block diagram showing a system configuration of an article transfer facility. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of a control protocol for an article transport vehicle performed by the transport management device. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating the presence or absence of interference between a walking space and a support. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of a method of setting an interference management area. FIG. 8 is a diagram explaining the travel restrictions on the interference management area. FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating prohibition of entry into an interference management area. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a method of setting a plurality of interference management areas.

Claims (8)

An article transporting device is an article transporting device that causes a plurality of article transporting vehicles to travel along a track to transport articles between a plurality of transfer target locations, and is characterized in that: the article transporting device has a plurality of the aforementioned tracks in parallel and in parallel In the section, a direction along the horizontal plane and orthogonal to the extending direction of the track is taken as a width direction. The article transport vehicle has a support body that advances and retracts between a retracted position and a protruding position to support the article, wherein the retracted The position is a position returned to the side of the article transport vehicle, and the protruding position is a position protruding in the width direction in accordance with the position of the transfer target location. In the track on one side of the parallel section, the article The protruding position when the supporting vehicle protrudes according to the position of the transfer target location is the trajectory of the article conveying vehicle when walking on the track on the other side of the parallel section, that is, the walking space and the supporting body. In the case of interfering positions, an interference management area is set in the parallel section , The interference management area corresponds to the transfer object location and includes at least the location where the walking space interferes with the support body, and one of the article transport vehicles is moving to the transfer target location corresponding to the interference management area. When the transfer operation is performed, other aforementioned goods transport vehicles are prohibited from entering the interference management area. For example, the article transporting device of item 1, wherein the aforementioned article transporting vehicle is an article transporting vehicle for performing an article transporting operation, and the article transporting operation includes: the aforementioned transporting operation for transferring the aforementioned article between the site to the aforementioned transfer object, And a walking action that moves on the aforementioned track to a target stop position corresponding to each of the aforementioned transfer destinations, and when the aforementioned article transfer action to the transfer destination is assigned to one of the aforementioned article transfer vehicles, other restrictions are imposed on others The article transport vehicle walks in the interference management area corresponding to the place to be transferred. For example, if the article transfer equipment of item 1 is requested, in the state where one of the aforementioned article transfer vehicles can start the transfer operation to the transfer target location corresponding to the interference management area, and only 1 in the interference management area When other aforementioned article transport vehicles exist, after all other aforementioned article transport vehicles exit the interference management area, the entry of other aforementioned article transport vehicles into the interference management area is prohibited, and the aforementioned transfer operation is permitted. For example, in the item transfer equipment of item 2, in a state in which one of the foregoing item transfer vehicles can start the transfer operation to the transfer target location corresponding to the interference management area, and only 1 in the interference management area When other aforementioned article transport vehicles exist, after all other aforementioned article transport vehicles exit the interference management area, the entry of other aforementioned article transport vehicles into the interference management area is prohibited, and the aforementioned transfer operation is permitted. For example, in the item transfer equipment of item 3, in a state in which one of the foregoing item transfer vehicles can start the transfer operation to the corresponding transfer target location in the interference management area, even if a predetermined standby time has elapsed When other aforementioned article transport vehicles still exist in the interference management area, the aforementioned transfer operation is not performed but exits from the interference management area. For example, in the article transfer equipment of item 4, in a state in which one of the aforementioned article transfer vehicles can start the transfer operation to the corresponding transfer target location in the interference management area, even if a predetermined standby time has elapsed When other aforementioned article transport vehicles still exist in the interference management area, the aforementioned transfer operation is not performed but exits from the interference management area. The item transfer device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the entirety of the track is divided into a plurality of unit sections, and the interference management area includes at least one of the unit sections corresponding to the transfer target location. For each of the aforementioned unit intervals, different aforementioned interference management areas may share the same aforementioned unit interval. For example, the item transfer equipment of item 7, wherein the transfer of the aforementioned items by different aforementioned item transfer vehicles for the respective transfer target locations respectively corresponding to the different aforementioned interference management areas containing the same aforementioned unit section is not performed. Will overlap in the same period.