JP2019043698A - Picking facility - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a picking facility capable of carrying out a picking work by a worker even when a space between a first part and a second part is narrow.SOLUTION: The picking facility includes a first conveyor 1, a second conveyor 2, and a transfer device 3. The first conveyor 1 has a first part 1A parallel to a second part 2A of the second conveyor 2. The first part 1A is disposed in an interval D into which a worker cannot enter in a width direction Y to the second part 2A. A second conveying position P2 of the second part 2A is set at an upstream side of a first conveying position P1 of the first part 1A in a conveyance direction. A work area E1 is set in the second part 2A, and the second conveyor 2 includes a movable conveyor part 12 switchable to a conveying state of conveying a second container C2 in the conveying direction and a retreat state of retreating the movable conveyor part from the work area E1 so that the worker can enter the work area E1.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

  The present invention comprises a first conveyor for transporting a first container containing articles, a second conveyor for transporting a second container, and a transfer device for transferring articles from the first container to the second container. Relating to picking equipment equipped with

  The conventional example of this picking installation is described in Unexamined-Japanese-Patent No. 2015-203596 (patent document 1). The picking facility of Patent Document 1 conveys the first container (container C1 for storage and withdrawal) to the first conveyance position P1 by the first conveyor (the first conveyance device 1), and the second conveyor (the second conveyance device 2) The second container (picking container C2) is transported to the second transport position P2. The first conveyance position P1 and the second conveyance position P2 are aligned in the width direction of the conveyor, and the transfer device 3 takes out the articles from the first container located at the first conveyance position P1, and the second conveyance position P2 The articles are transferred from the first container to the second container in such a manner that the articles are accommodated in the second container located at.

JP, 2015-203596, A

In such a picking facility, if it becomes impossible to continue the transfer by the transfer device due to dropping the articles held by the transfer device in the middle of the transfer by the transfer device, the transfer device is selected. Stop it temporarily. Then, the operator enters between the first conveyor and the second conveyor, stands between the first conveyance position and the second conveyance position, and the operator transfers the article for which the transfer device can not be transferred. After the worker has left, the picking operation by the transfer device is resumed by operating the transfer device.
However, due to the downsizing of the transfer device and the space saving of the picking equipment, the distance between the first conveyor and the second conveyor, in particular, the first portion and the second conveyor in which the first conveyance position in the first conveyor is set. There may be a case where the operator can not enter the interval with the second portion where the second transport position is set. In such a case, the operator can not enter between the first position and the second position to perform the picking operation.

  Therefore, it is desirable to realize a picking facility that allows picking by the operator even when the distance between the first part and the second part is narrow.

In view of the above, the characterizing feature of the picking facility is a first conveyor for transporting a first container containing articles, a second conveyor for transporting a second container, and articles from the first container to the second container. And a transfer device for transferring
The first conveyor has a first part parallel to the second part of the second conveyor, and the first part is a width direction orthogonal to the transport direction of the second part in plan view, The second portion is installed at an interval at which the operator can not enter in the width direction, a first transfer position is set in the first portion, and a second transfer position is set in the second portion. The loading device transfers an article from the first container located at the first transport position to a second container located at the second transport position, and the loading device transfers the article relative to the first transport position in the second portion. A work area is set at a position aligned in the width direction and at a position aligned in the transport direction with respect to the second transport position, the second conveyor includes a movable conveyor portion provided in the work area, and the movable conveyor The second unit A conveyance state for conveying the vessel, in that it includes a retracted state for saving, the freely conveyor section is switched from the work area so as to be in a state of placing the operator in the work area.

According to these features, since the first portion in which the first conveyance position is set and the second portion in which the second conveyance position is set are arranged at relatively narrow intervals in the width direction, picking equipment Space saving can be easily achieved, and the first container at the first transfer position and the second container at the second transfer position can be brought close to each other. It becomes easy to miniaturize the device.
Then, by switching the movable conveyor unit from the transport state to the retracted state, the movable conveyor can be retracted from the work area, and the operator can enter the work area. Since the work area is arranged in the width direction with respect to the first conveyance position and is arranged in the conveyance direction with respect to the second conveyance position, the worker of the work area is positioned at the first conveyance position. Work can be performed on one container or the second container located at the second transport position.

Top view of picking equipment Top view of picking equipment with notched frame Top view of picking equipment with movable conveyor retracted Side view of the second conveyor Control block diagram Top view of picking equipment of another embodiment Side view of the second conveyor of another embodiment Side view of the second conveyor of another embodiment

1. Embodiment An embodiment of picking equipment will be described based on the drawings.
As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, in the picking facility, a first conveyor 1 for transporting a first container C1, a second conveyor 2 for transporting a second container C2, and a first container C1 to a second container C2 The transfer apparatus 3 for transferring the article W thereon, and the fence 4 surrounded by the installation area E in which the first conveyor 1, the second conveyor 2 and the transfer apparatus 3 are installed are provided.

  The first conveyor 1 is configured by a roller conveyor or the like, and conveys the first container C1 in one direction as shown by the arrows in FIGS. A first conveyance position P1 is set in the middle of the conveyance path of the first conveyor 1. The first conveyor 1 conveys from the first conveyance source outside the figure to the first conveyance position P1 and conveys it from the first conveyance position P1 to the first conveyance destination outside the figure. One or more articles W are accommodated in the first container C1 conveyed to the first conveyance position P1 by the first conveyor 1, and the same type of articles W is accommodated in one first container C1.

  The second conveyor 2 is configured by a roller conveyor or the like, and conveys the second container C2 in one direction as shown by the arrows in FIGS. A second transport position P2 is set in the middle of the transport path of the second conveyor 2. The second conveyor 2 transports from a second transport source (not shown) to the second transport position P2 and transports it from the second transport position P2 to a second transport destination (not shown). Although the article W is not stored in the second container C2 transported to the second transport position P2 by the second conveyor 2, the transfer device 3 transports the second container C2 transported from the second transport position P2 One or more types of articles W transferred are accommodated.

That is, in the picking facility, the first container C1 containing the article W is transported by the first conveyor 1 to the first transport position P1, and the empty second container C2 is transported by the second conveyor 2 to the second transport position P2 Ru. Then, the transfer device 3 takes out the article W from the first container C1 located at the first conveyance position P1, and stores the taken-out article W in the second container C2 located at the second conveyance position P2. The article W is transferred from the first container C1 to the second container C2.
The first container C1 from which all the articles W to be taken out have been taken out is conveyed by the first conveyor 1 from the first conveyance position P1. In addition, the second container C2 in which all the articles W to be accommodated are accommodated is conveyed by the second conveyor 2 from the second conveyance position P2.

Next, the first conveyor 1, the second conveyor 2, and the transfer device 3 will be described. In the description of these devices, the direction along which the second conveyor 2 runs is referred to as the longitudinal direction X, the transport direction of the second conveyor 2 in the longitudinal direction X is referred to as the first longitudinal direction X1, and the opposite direction is the longitudinal first direction. It is referred to as bi-directional X2. In addition, a direction orthogonal to the longitudinal direction X in plan view is referred to as a width direction Y, and a direction in which the first conveyor 1 exists with respect to the second conveyor 2 in the width direction Y is referred to as a width first direction Y1 The opposite direction is referred to as a width second direction Y2.
The first longitudinal direction X1 corresponds to the first transport direction of the first portion 1A. The longitudinal second direction X2 side corresponds to the upstream side of the transport direction of the second portion 2A.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the first conveyor 1 includes a first conveyance unit 5, a second conveyance unit 6, and a third conveyance unit 7. The first transport unit 5 transports the first container C1 in the first longitudinal direction X1 and transports the first container C1 to the third transport position P3. The second transport unit 6 transports the first container C1 in the width second direction Y2 to transport the first container C1 from the third transport position P3 to the fourth transport position P4. The third transport unit 7 transports the first container C1 in the first longitudinal direction X1, transports the first container C1 from the fourth transport position P4 to the first transport position P1, and transports the first container C1 to the first transport position P1. The sheet is transported from the position P1 in the first longitudinal direction X1.
As described above, in the first conveyor 1, the first conveyance unit 5, the second conveyance unit 6, and the third conveyance unit 7 are arranged in a crank shape. The end of the first conveyance portion 5 in the first longitudinal direction X1 and the end of the second conveyance portion 6 in the width first direction Y1 are located at the third conveyance position P3. Further, at the fourth conveyance position P4, an end of the second conveyance portion 6 in the second widthwise direction Y2 and an end of the third conveyance portion 7 in the second longitudinal direction X2 are located.

The first transport unit 5 includes a first receiving unit 9 at the end in the first longitudinal direction X1 for receiving the first container C1 transported in the first longitudinal direction X1. When the first container C1 is transported to the third transport position P3 by the first transport unit 5, the first container C1 is received by the first receiving portion 9, whereby the first conveyor 1 in the longitudinal direction X with respect to the first conveyor 1 The first container C1 is positioned at an appropriate position.
The 2nd conveyance part 6 is provided with the 2nd receiving part 10 which receives the 1st container C1 conveyed by the width second direction Y2 at the end of the width second direction Y2. When the first container C1 is transported to the fourth transport position P4 by the second transport unit 6, the first container C1 is received by the second receiving unit 10, whereby the first conveyor 1 is moved relative to the first conveyor 1 in the width direction Y The first container C1 is positioned at an appropriate position.

The first conveyor 1 has a first portion 1A parallel to the second portion 2A of the second conveyor 2. The first conveyance position P1 is set to the first portion 1A, and the first portion 1A is provided to the third conveyance portion 7 in the first conveyor 1.
The first portion 1A is installed at an interval D which the operator can not enter in the width direction Y with respect to the second portion 2A. Here, in the present embodiment, the interval D is set to be less than 200 mm, with the longitudinal width (abdominal diameter) of the abdomen of a general worker being 200 mm. Specifically, it is 150 mm. The distance D is set to be less than 100 mm, assuming that the longitudinal width (knee thickness) of a typical worker's knee is 100 mm, or the first portion 1A and the second portion 2A are brought into contact to make 0 mm And can be changed as appropriate. In the present embodiment, the distance D is a distance at which the legs of the gantry 19 can be installed between the first portion 1A and the second portion 2A by using the distance D.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the second conveyor 2 conveys the second container C2 in the first longitudinal direction X1 to convey the second container C2 to the second conveyance position P2, and at the same time, the second container C2 The second transport position P2 is transported in the first longitudinal direction X1. The second transport position P2 is set to the second portion 2A of the second conveyor 2. The second transport position P2 is set on the longitudinal second direction X2 side with respect to the first transport position P1 of the first conveyor 1 and is set to the same position as the transfer device 3 in the longitudinal direction X.

A work area E1 is set at a position aligned in the width second direction Y2 with respect to the first transport position P1 and in a position aligned with the first transport direction P2 with respect to the second transport position P2. The width in the longitudinal direction X of the work area E1 is wider than the distance D between the first portion 1A and the second portion 2A. The width in the longitudinal direction X of the work area E1 is 500 mm or more, and in the present embodiment, the width is 800 mm or more in order to make the worker easy to work in the work area E1.
That is, a part of the second portion 2A of the second conveyor 2 is installed in the work area E1. And the part located in the work area E1 in 2nd part 2A is comprised by the movable conveyor part 12. As shown in FIG. The movable conveyor portion 12 is located from the longitudinal first direction X1 side of the work area E1 to the longitudinal second direction X2 side.

The movable conveyor portion 12 is configured to be wider in the longitudinal direction X than the work area E1. The end of the movable conveyor portion 12 in the first longitudinal direction X1 is connected to the other portion of the first conveyor 1 so as to be pivotable about an axis along the width direction Y. The end in the second direction X2 is supported by the other portion of the first conveyor 1 from below. Therefore, by moving the end in the second longitudinal direction X2 of the movable conveyor portion 12 upward, the movable conveyor portion 12 is rotated about an axis along the width direction Y located at the end in the first longitudinal direction X1. And the attitude can be changed.
And the movable conveyor part 12 conveys the 2nd container C2 to the longitudinal direction X in the state made horizontal orientation in alignment with the longitudinal direction X, as shown to FIG. 1, FIG. 2 and FIG. 4 (state shown by an imaginary line). As shown in FIG. 3 and FIG. 4 (the state shown by the solid line), in the state in which the end portion of the second longitudinal direction X2 is lifted upward from the conveyed state to make it stand up posture, In the evacuation state, the operator retracts from the work area E1 so that the worker enters the area E1. As described above, the movable conveyor unit 12 is configured to be switchable between the transport state and the retracted state.

As described above, the second conveyance position P2 is set in the second portion 2A of the second conveyor 2 and the movable conveyor unit 12 is installed at a position different from the second conveyance position P2. Therefore, in the state where the second container C2 exists at the second conveyance position P2, the movable conveyor unit 12 can be switched from the conveyance state to the work state.
The work area E1 is set at a position adjacent to the second conveyance position P2 in the first longitudinal direction X1, and is located at the same position as the second conveyance position P2 in the width direction Y. Then, the work area E1 is set such that the worker in the work area E1 can reach the second container C2 at the second transport position P2 and can store the article W in the second container C2.
The work area E1 is located adjacent to the first conveyance position P1 in the width second direction Y2, and is located at the same position as the first conveyance position P1 in the longitudinal direction X. And the work area E1 is set so that the worker of the work area E1 can reach the first container C1 at the first transport position P1 and can take out the article W from the first container C1.

The fence 4 has a first fence 4A installed on the width first direction Y1 side of the first conveyor 1 and a second fence 4B installed on the width second direction Y2 side of the second conveyor 2. The first fence 4A is installed along the first conveyor 1, and the second fence 4B is installed along the second conveyor 2.
In a part of the second fence 4B, an entrance 15 movable to the work area E1 of the installation area E and the outside of the installation area E is formed. The entrance 15 of the second fence 4B is closed by an openable door 16. And the door detection sensor 17 which detects the opening / closing state of the door 16 is provided with respect to the entrance / exit 15. As shown in FIG. The door detection sensor 17 is configured of a limit switch or the like, and when the door 16 is in the closed state in which the entrance 15 is closed, the door detection sensor 17 is in the detection state for detecting the door 16. At this time, the door 16 is not detected. Thus, the door detection sensor 17 detects whether the door 16 is in the closed state.

  The display unit 13 is provided to display work content in the first widthwise direction Y1 with respect to the work area E1 and in the second widthwise direction Y2 with respect to the first fence 4A. The display unit 13 displays information such as the type and number of the articles W taken out of the first container C1 and the position at which the articles W taken out of the first container C1 in the second container C2 are stored. In addition, the display unit 13 is configured as a touch panel, and the operator of the work area E1 is configured to be able to input the work content performed in the work area E1.

  The transfer device 3 is installed on a gantry 19. The rack 19 is located directly above the fourth conveyance position P4 of the first conveyor 1 and is disposed above the upper end of the first container C1 conveyed by the first portion 1A. The first container C <b> 1 transported by the first conveyor 1 passes below the gantry 19. The transfer device 3 is installed at a position adjacent to the first width direction Y1 with respect to the second transport position P2, and is installed at the same position as the second transport position P2 in the longitudinal direction X. The transfer device 3 is positioned adjacent to the first transport position P1 in the longitudinal second direction X2, and is installed at the same position as the first transport position P1 in the width direction Y.

As shown in FIG. 5, in the picking facility, a control device H for controlling the first conveyor 1, the second conveyor 2 and the transfer device 3, and a control panel 24 for artificially operating the transfer device 3 , Is equipped.
The first imaging device 21 for imaging the inside of the first container C1 located at the first conveyance position P1 is disposed above the first conveyance position P1, and is disposed at the second conveyance position P2 above the second conveyance position P2. A second imaging device 22 for imaging the inside of the located second container C2 is installed. The control device H transports the first container C1 containing the article W to be picked to the first transport position P1 and an empty second container based on the picking information from the upper controller (not shown). The first conveyor 1 and the second conveyor 2 are controlled to convey C2 to the second conveyance position P2. Further, the control device H holds the article W stored in the first container C1 based on the picking information and the imaging information of the first imaging device 21 and takes it out of the first container C1, and the second imaging device 22 Are accommodated in the second container C2 on the basis of the imaging information.

  The control device H interrupts transfer of the article W by the transfer device 3 when an error such as dropping the article W held by the transfer device 3 occurs in the middle of transfer by the transfer device 3. The transfer device 3 is then stopped. Further, the control device H interrupts transfer of the article W by the transfer device 3 when the stop button of the operation panel 24 is operated or when the door detection sensor 17 detects the opening operation of the door 16. The transfer device 3 is then stopped. Then, when the recovery button of the operation panel 24 is operated in a state where the closed state of the door 16 is detected by the door detection sensor 17, the transfer device 3 is operated to transfer the article W by the transfer device 3. Resume

  When the transfer device 3 interrupts the transfer, the control device H causes the display unit to display information indicating that the transfer has been interrupted, or causes an alarm device such as a warning light or a buzzer to be in an emergency state. . After the operator presses the stop button of the operation panel 24 to release the emergency state, the operator opens the door 16 and moves the movable conveyor unit 12 from the transport position to the retraction position to enter the work area E1. After the worker of the work area E1 carries out the picking operation for taking out the article W from the first container C1 and the picking operation for containing the article W in the second container C2, the operation content is input to the display unit 13. After completing the picking operation, the operator withdraws from the work area E1 to move the movable conveyor unit 12 from the retracted position to the transport position, closes the door 16, and then operates the recovery button on the operation panel 24. The control device H cancels the emergency state when the stop button is pressed, and the operation status and the display unit 13 when the transfer device 3 interrupts the transfer as the recovery button is pressed. The picking operation is resumed on the basis of the operation information input to.

2. Other Embodiments Next, other embodiments of the picking equipment will be described.

(1) In the above embodiment, the transfer device 3 is disposed at a position aligned in the longitudinal direction X with respect to the first transfer position P1 and in the width direction Y with respect to the second transfer position P2 in plan view The installation position of the transfer device 3 can be appropriately changed, such as installing the transfer device 3 in a suspended state so as to overlap with one or both of the first transfer position P1 and the second transfer position P2 in plan view is there.

(2) In the above embodiment, the rack 19 is installed to overlap the first portion 1A of the first conveyor 1 in plan view, but the rack 19 is overlapped to the second portion 2A of the second conveyor 2 in plan view It may be installed in In this case, the gantry 19 is disposed above the upper end of the second container C2 transported by the second portion 2A. Moreover, you may install the mount frame 19 so that it may not overlap with both 1st part 1A and 2nd part 2A in planar view.

(3) In the above embodiment, the first conveyor 1 is provided with the first conveying unit 5, the second conveying unit 6, and the third conveying unit 7, and the first conveyor 1 is installed in a crank shape. As shown in 6, the installation shape of the first conveyor 1 may be changed as appropriate, for example, the first conveyor 1 may be installed linearly along the longitudinal direction X. Moreover, although the 2nd conveyor 2 was installed in linear form, the installation shape of the 2nd conveyor 2 may be suitably changed, such as installing the 2nd conveyor 2 in a crank shape.

(4) In the above embodiment, the movable conveyor unit 12 is swung upward to switch the state of the movable conveyor unit 12 from the transport state to the retracted state. For example, as shown in FIG. 12 as shown in FIG. 8 or by removing the movable conveyor 12 from the other part of the second conveyor 2 as shown in FIG. The state may be switched from the transport state to the retracted state. In addition, the part which supports the movable conveyor part 12 in the 2nd conveyor 2 shown in FIG. 7 from the downward direction is comprised so that retraction is possible in the longitudinal second direction X2, and retracting the said part retracts the movable conveyor part 12 It becomes possible to switch to the position. Further, the second conveyor 2 shown in FIG. 8 is configured by a chain conveyor, and the chain conveyor that constitutes the movable conveyor unit 12 and the chain conveyors other than the movable conveyor unit 12 in the second conveyor 2 are conveyed In the width direction Y in the width direction of the second container C 2, and the movable conveyor unit 12 is configured to be slidable in the longitudinal direction X with respect to the other portions of the second conveyor 2 There is.

(5) In the above embodiment, although the transport direction of the first portion 1A and the transport direction of the second portion 2A are the same, the transport direction of the first portion 1A is the longitudinal second direction X2, and the transport of the second portion 2A The transport direction of the first portion 1A may be different from the transport direction of the second portion 2A, where the direction is the longitudinal first direction X1.

(6) In the above embodiment, when the transfer device 3 interrupts the transfer, taking out the article W from the first container C1 located at the first transfer position P1 and the second transfer position P2 located at the second transfer position P2 The storage of the article W in the two containers C2 is performed once or both once, but when the transfer device 3 suspends transfer, it is positioned at the first transfer position P1. The removal of the article W from the first container C1 and the storage of the article W in the second container C2 located at the second transport position P2 may be repeated.
Specifically, for example, a transfer operation panel for operating the first conveyor 1 and the second conveyor 2 is provided at a position where an operator of the work area E1 can operate. The control device H transports the first container C1 located at the first transport position P1 to the downstream side when the transport operation panel transports the first container C1 from the first transport position P1. The first conveyor 1 is controlled to convey the first container C1 to the first conveyance position P1. In addition, the second container C2 at the second transport position P2 is moved by the operator to a portion downstream of the work area E1 in the second conveyor 2 before storing the article W or after storing the article W. Then, when an operation of transporting the second container C2 from the second transport position P2 is performed by the transport operation panel, the control device H transports the second container C2 moved by the worker downstream. The second conveyor 2 is controlled to convey the next second container C2 to the second conveyance position P2. Thus, the operator operates the transfer operation panel to sequentially transfer the first container C1 to the first transfer position P1, and sequentially transfer the second container C2 to the second transfer position P2, and the first transfer position P1. The removal of the article W from the first container C1 located in the second container C1 and the storage of the article W in the second container C2 located at the second transport position P2 may be repeated.

(7) Note that the configurations disclosed in the above-described embodiments can be applied in combination with the configurations disclosed in the other embodiments as long as no contradiction arises. As for the other configurations, the embodiments disclosed herein are merely illustrative in all respects. Therefore, various modifications can be made as appropriate without departing from the spirit of the present disclosure.

3. Outline of the Embodiment Hereinafter, an outline of the picking equipment described above will be described.

The picking facility includes a first conveyor for transporting a first container containing articles, a second conveyor for transporting a second container, and a transfer device for transferring articles from the first container to the second container. Equipped with
The first conveyor has a first part parallel to the second part of the second conveyor, and the first part is a width direction orthogonal to the transport direction of the second part in plan view, The second portion is installed at an interval at which the operator can not enter in the width direction, a first transfer position is set in the first portion, and a second transfer position is set in the second portion. The loading device transfers an article from the first container located at the first transport position to a second container located at the second transport position, and the loading device transfers the article relative to the first transport position in the second portion. A work area is set at a position aligned in the width direction and at a position aligned in the transport direction with respect to the second transport position, the second conveyor includes a movable conveyor portion provided in the work area, and the movable conveyor The second unit A conveyance state for conveying the vessel, and is configured to be freely switched and retracted state of saving, from the work area so as to be in a state of placing the operator in the work area.

According to this configuration, the first portion in which the first transport position is set and the second portion in which the second transport position is set are disposed at relatively narrow intervals in the width direction, so that picking equipment can be saved. The space can be easily achieved, and the first container at the first transfer position and the second container at the second transfer position can be brought close to each other, so that the transfer device for transferring articles from the first container to the second container It also becomes easier to miniaturize.
Then, by switching the movable conveyor unit from the transport state to the retracted state, the movable conveyor can be retracted from the work area, and the operator can enter the work area. Since the work area is arranged in the width direction with respect to the first conveyance position and is arranged in the conveyance direction with respect to the second conveyance position, the worker of the work area is positioned at the first conveyance position. Work can be performed on one container or the second container located at the second transport position.

  Here, the second transport position is set upstream of the first transport position in the transport direction, and the transfer device is upstream of the first transport position in the transport direction in plan view. It is preferable to be installed at a position aligned with the side and in the width direction with respect to the second transport position.

  According to this configuration, the first transfer position is arranged on the downstream side in the transfer direction of the transfer device, and the second transfer position is arranged in one direction of the width direction of the transfer device. It can be installed close to both the first container located at the first transfer position and the second container located at the second transfer position, and the transfer device transfers the articles from the first container to the second container Efficiently.

  Further, a display unit for displaying the work content in the first width direction with respect to the work area is provided, where the direction in which the first conveyance position is present with respect to the work area in the width direction is the first width direction. Is preferred.

  According to this configuration, by providing the display unit in the same direction as the direction in which the first conveyance position is present in the work area, the display unit can be installed at a position where the worker in the work area can easily see. Then, since the worker in the work area can perform the picking operation while looking at the operation content displayed on the display unit, the picking operation can be easily performed.

  Further, the first conveyor transports the first container in the first transport direction with the first portion transporting the first container as the first transport direction, and the third transport position of the first container. A first transport unit for transporting the first container, a second transport unit for transporting the first container in the width direction to transport the first container from the third transport position to the fourth transport position, and the first container And a third transport unit configured to transport the first container from the fourth transport position to the first transport position by transporting in the first transport direction, the first transport portion or the third transport portion A first receiving portion for receiving the first container transported in the first transport direction is provided, and the second transporting portion is provided with a second receiving portion for receiving the first container transported in the width direction. Is preferable.

  According to this configuration, when the first container is conveyed by the first conveyance unit or the third conveyance unit, the position of the first container in the first conveyance direction can be positioned by receiving the first container by the first receiving body. . Moreover, when conveying a 1st container by a 3rd conveyance part, the position of the 1st container in the width direction can be positioned by receiving by a 2nd receiving body. Thus, there is no need for a dedicated device for moving the first container in the width direction or the first direction in order to position the container, and the configuration for positioning the first container can be simplified.

  The transfer device is installed on a gantry, and the gantry includes an upper end of the first container transported by the first portion and an upper end of the second container transported by the second portion. It is preferable to be installed above at least one of them.

  According to this configuration, by installing the gantry above the upper end of the first container transported by the first part, the gantry can be installed right above the first part. Further, by installing the gantry above the upper end of the second container transported by the second part, the gantry can be installed right above the second part. By thus installing the gantry just above the first part and the second part, a dedicated space for installing the transfer device is not necessary, and space saving of the picking facility can be achieved.

  The technology according to the present disclosure can be used for picking equipment provided with a conveyor for transporting containers and a transfer device for transferring articles.

1: 1st conveyor 1A: 1st part 2: 2nd conveyor 2A: 2nd part 3: Transfer device 5: 1st conveyance part 6: 2nd conveyance part 7: 3rd conveyance part 9: 1st receiving part 10 : Second receiving unit 12: movable conveyor unit 19: gantry C1: first container C2: second container D: interval E1: work area P1: first conveyance position P2: second conveyance position P3: third conveyance position P4 : Fourth conveyance position W: Article X1: first longitudinal direction (conveyance direction, first direction)
Y: Width direction Y1: Width first direction

Claims (5)

Picking comprising a first conveyor for transporting a first container containing articles, a second conveyor for transporting a second container, and a transfer device for transferring articles from the first container to the second container Equipment,
The first conveyor has a first portion parallel to the second portion of the second conveyor,
A direction orthogonal to the transport direction of the second portion in plan view is a width direction,
The first portion is installed at an interval that the operator can not enter in the width direction with respect to the second portion,
A first transport position is set in the first portion,
A second transport position is set in the second portion,
The transfer device transfers an article from the first container located at the first transfer position to a second container located at the second transfer position,
A work area is set in the second portion at a position aligned in the width direction with respect to the first transport position and in a position aligned with the second transport position in the transport direction.
The second conveyor includes a movable conveyor unit provided in the work area;
The movable conveyor unit is configured to be switchable between a transport state in which the second container is transported in the transport direction, and a retraction state in which the operator retracts from the work area so that the operator enters the work area. Picking equipment. The second transport position is set upstream of the first transport position in the transport direction.
The transfer device according to claim 1, wherein the transfer device is disposed at a position aligned upstream with respect to the first transport position in plan view and aligned with the second transport position in the width direction. Picking equipment as described. The direction in which the first transport position is present with respect to the work area in the width direction is taken as a width first direction,
The picking facility according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising: a display unit for displaying the work content in the first direction of the width with respect to the work area. A direction in which the first portion transports the first container is a first transport direction.
The first conveyor transports the first container in the first transport direction and transports the first container to the third transport position, and transports the first container in the width direction. A second transport unit for transporting the first container from the third transport position to the fourth transport position, and transporting the first container in the first transport direction to transfer the first container from the fourth transport position And a third transport unit for transporting to a first transport position,
The first transport unit or the third transport unit includes a first receiving unit that receives the first container transported in the first transport direction,
The picking equipment according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the second transport unit includes a second receiving unit that receives the first container transported in the width direction. The transfer device is installed on a rack,
The gantry is disposed above at least one of the upper end of the first container transported by the first portion and the upper end of the second container transported by the second portion. Picking equipment according to any one of 4.

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