JP7533677B2 - Transfer Equipment - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a transfer device that transfers cargo from a container to be unloaded to a container to be loaded.

In this type of transfer device, both ends of two parallel movable rail members are supported by two Y-direction fixed rail members perpendicular to the X-direction, which is the length direction of the movable rail members, so that they can move horizontally in parallel. A movable body is supported on each of the two movable rail members so that it can move back and forth in the X-direction, and a picking head capable of lifting a load is provided on each movable body so that it can be raised and lowered. In the prior art document cited as Patent Document 1, a processing unit for work is used instead of the picking head required for the load carrying-in and unloading unit, but if a picking head for picking a load is used instead, it can be used as a load carrying-in and unloading unit for lifting a load and lowering it to another location. In this case, a container receiving area for the load to be carried out and a container receiving area for the load to be carried in are set below the load carrying-in and unloading unit within the movable area of the picking head in a plan view.

JP 2003-305672 A

As described above, even if it were easy for a person skilled in the art to use the configuration described in Patent Document 1 to configure a transfer device that transfers a load lifted by a picking head from a container to be unloaded into a container to be loaded, problems that are necessary for practical application must be solved, such as a configuration for efficiently picking the load from the container to be unloaded, and a configuration for safely and easily transferring the load from the container to be unloaded into the container to be loaded, as necessary, by hand, without using a load unloading/loading unit.

The transfer device according to one aspect of the present invention is provided with a load transfer work space in which a first container receiving area and a second container receiving area are aligned in a plan view, and is equipped with a conveyor for loading and unloading containers to and from the first and second container receiving areas, and a load transfer unit that is located above the load transfer work space and has a picking head that can lift loads and transfers loads between the first and second containers that have been loaded into the first and second container receiving areas, respectively. The conveyor includes a first conveyor for loading and unloading the first container to and from the first container receiving area, and a second conveyor for loading and unloading the second container to and from the second container receiving area, and each of the first and second conveyors includes an input conveyor unit and an output conveyor unit arranged in two layers, one above the other, and a transfer means for transferring the first and second containers between the input conveyor unit and the output conveyor unit.

The transfer device of the present invention configured as described above can be used as a transfer device that can switch between automatic work performed by an automatic device and manual work performed by an operator as needed to transfer cargo from a container to be unloaded into a container to be loaded.

FIG. 1 is a side view of a transfer device according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a front view of the transfer device. FIG. 3 is a plan view of the transfer device when a manual transfer operation is being performed. FIG. 4 is a plan view for explaining the movement range in the X direction of a picking head in the transfer device. FIG. 5 is a plan view for explaining the movement range in the Y direction of a picking head in the transfer device. 6A to 6D are schematic plan views for explaining each stage of a transfer operation when four picking heads in the transfer device each handle one small-sized load. 7A to 7D are schematic plan views for explaining each stage of a transfer operation when four picking heads in the transfer device handle one large-sized load. FIG. 8 is a side view showing another embodiment of the safety measure. FIG. 9 is a front view of FIG. FIG. 10 is a side view showing a modification of the embodiment of FIG. FIG. 11 is a side view of a main portion showing yet another embodiment of the safety measure.

As shown in Figures 1 to 3, the load carrying-in/out unit 1 provided in the transfer device of the present invention according to the illustrated embodiment is installed horizontally on a platform 2. The platform 2 is composed of a pair of X-direction (left-right direction) side frames 5a, 5b in which a pair of Y-direction (front-rear direction) pillars 3a, 3b are connected to each other near the top and bottom ends by Y-direction connecting members 4a, 4b, and an X-direction connecting member 6 that connects the side frames 5a, 5b to each other at the top end of the pillar 3b on the rear side in the Y direction.

The platform 2 is installed so as to straddle the load transfer work space 9 where the container receiving area 7 for the load-out and the container receiving area 8 for the load-in are adjacent in the X direction, and each container receiving area 7, 8 is connected to a load-in/load-out conveyor 10, 11 for containers Cy/Cx. Each of these load-in/load-out conveyors 10, 11 is installed in parallel with each other and extends along the Y direction to the rear of the load transfer work space 9 in the Y direction. They are of the same structure and are composed of two layers of load-in conveyor units 12 and load-out conveyor units 13, and lifting and lowering transfer means 14A/14B. In the figure, the load-in conveyor unit 12 is on the upper side, but the load-out conveyor unit 13 may be on the upper side.

The lifting and transferring means 14A, 14B are equipped with container support carriers 14a, 14b that can be raised and lowered in parallel between the upper limit position and the lower limit position connected to the upper and lower two-layered carry-in conveyor unit 12 and the carry-out conveyor unit 13, and on the container support carriers 14a, 14b, there are provided retracting and sending-out means (such as a conveyor with a freely changeable rotation direction or a reciprocating body for pushing and pulling containers) that can selectively perform the operation of retracting the container Cy/Cx sent out from the carry-in conveyor unit 12 to a fixed position on the container support carriers 14a, 14b and the operation of sending the container Cy/Cx at the fixed position onto the carry-out conveyor unit 13. The container support carriers 14a, 14b can carry the containers Cy/Cx they support into each container receiving area 7/8 by stopping at each container receiving area 7/8 located in the middle of their parallel lifting and lowering paths. Furthermore, when the loading/unloading conveyors 10, 11 are used to simultaneously load/unload containers Cy/Cx to/from both container receiving areas 7, 8, the lifting/transfer means 14A, 14B provided on both conveyors 10, 11 can be integrated with the container support carriers 14a, 14b provided on each of the conveyors to form a single container support carrier having a width approximately equal to the width in the X direction of the entire container receiving areas 7, 8 (loading/unloading work space 9).

Although the means for carrying containers Cy/Cx into and out of the container receiving site 7 for the outgoing cargo and the container receiving site 8 for the incoming cargo have been briefly described, the means for carrying containers Cy/Cx into and out of the container receiving site 7 for the outgoing cargo and the container receiving site 8 for the incoming cargo may be of any configuration. In some cases, it may be possible to carry containers Cy/Cx into and out of the container receiving site 7 for the outgoing cargo and the container receiving site 8 for the incoming cargo by manual work. In the illustrated configuration, the container receiving site 7 for the outgoing cargo and the container receiving site 8 for the incoming cargo are set at an intermediate height between the carry-in conveyor unit 12 and the carry-out conveyor unit 13, but they may also be set at a height that connects to the carry-in conveyor unit 12 or the carry-out conveyor unit 13.

The load-carrying unit 1 installed on the stand 2 is composed of a pair of X-direction fixed rail members 15, 16 parallel to the Y-direction, a pair of Y-direction movable rail members 17, 18 parallel to the X-direction, a pair of X-direction movable bodies 19, 20 and 21, 22 supported on each of these movable rail members 17, 18, and picking heads 23-26 supported so as to be freely raised and lowered in the Z-direction on each of these four movable bodies 19-22. In more detail, the pair of X-direction fixed rail members 15, 16 are fixedly supported at both Y-direction ends to the upper ends of a pair of Y-direction supports 3a, 3b on the left and right side frames 5a, 5b of the stand 2, and above them, two Y-direction movable support tables 15a, 15b and 16a, 16b are supported so as to be freely reciprocated between the Y-direction ends of the fixed rail members 15, 16, respectively. The pair of Y-direction movable rail members 17, 18 are fixedly supported at their X-direction ends on the movable support bases 15a, 15b and 16a, 16b. The movable bodies 19, 20 and 21, 22 are supported on the opposing sides of the movable rail members 17, 18 so as to be freely movable back and forth in the X-direction between the X-direction ends of each of the movable rail members 17, 18. The movable bodies 19-22 are fixedly attached to the lower ends of the lifting rail members 19a-22a parallel to the Z-direction (vertical up-down direction), and the lifting support bases 19b-22b are provided on each of the lifting rail members 19a-22a so as to be freely lifted and lowered between the Z-direction ends, and the upper ends of the lifting rods 23a-26a parallel to the Z-direction and equipped with the picking heads 23-26 at their lower ends are fixedly supported on each of the lifting support bases 19b-22b. The picking heads 23 to 26 can be of the type that can be attached to the top surface of the load by negative pressure, or of the type that can be magnetically attached by passing electricity to loads with a magnetic plate attached to the top surface or box-type loads formed from a magnetic plate. Of course, it is also possible to use a picking head that has a gripping part provided on the top surface of the load and is equipped with a gripping tool that can grip and release the gripping part.

As shown in FIG. 3, the lifting support bases 19b-22b (lifting rods 23a-26a) are arranged on the sides facing each other in the X direction of the lifting rail members 19a, 20a/21a, 22a supported by the same movable rail member 17/18. Also, as shown in FIG. 4, the two X-direction movable bodies 19, 20 supported by the movable rail member 17 and the two X-direction movable bodies 21, 22 supported by the movable rail member 18 can each move back and forth along the movable rail member 17/18 within the X-direction movement range Wx so that the end of the movement is when the lifting support bases 19b, 20b/21b, 22b (lifting rods 23a, 24a/25a, 26a) are adjacent to each other in the X direction at both ends of the movable rail member 17/18 in the X direction.

As shown in Figure 4, a narrow waiting area Sa1 with a waiting position Sp1 where only the movable rail member 17 can be waited is provided at the front side of the load transfer work space 9 in the Y direction in a plan view, and as shown in Figure 3, a wide waiting area Sa2 with two waiting positions Sp2, Sp3 in the Y direction where the two movable rail members 17, 18 can be waited adjacent to each other in the Y direction is provided at the rear side of the load transfer work space 9 in the Y direction in a plan view. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 5, the movable rail member 17 can move back and forth in the Y direction within a Y direction movement range Wy between a waiting position Sp1 in the narrow waiting area Sa1 and a waiting position Sp2 adjacent to the load transfer work space 9 in the wide waiting area Sa2, and the movable rail member 18 can move back and forth in the Y direction within a Y direction movement range Wy between a travel limit position p4 adjacent to the rear side in the Y direction of the movable rail member 17 located at the waiting position Sp1 in the narrow waiting area Sa1 and a waiting position Sp3 away from the load transfer work space 9 in the wide waiting area Sa2, as shown in FIG. 5.

Specific structures are not shown for the drive means which reciprocates the movable support bases 15a, 15b and 16a, 16b in the Y direction relative to the fixed rail members 15, 16, the drive means which reciprocates the movable bodies 19, 20 and 21, 22 in the X direction relative to the movable rail members 17, 18, and the drive means which raises and lowers the lifting support bases 19b-22b relative to the lifting rail members 19a-22a, but conventional well-known drive means can be used for all of them. For example, as a driving means for reciprocating the movable support bases 15a, 15b and 16a, 16b and the movable bodies 19, 20 and 21, 22, a fixed screw shaft with a length that covers almost the entire length of the fixed rail members 15, 16 (movable rail members 17, 18) is installed parallel to the Y direction (X direction), and each of the movable support bases 15a, 15b and 16a, 16b (movable bodies 19, 20 and 21, 22) is equipped with a motor that supports the female screw body that is screwed into the fixed screw shaft so that it can only rotate on its own axis and drives the female screw body in forward and reverse rotation. By driving the female screw body of each of these movable support bases 15a to 16b (movable bodies 19 to 22) in forward and reverse rotation by the motor, the picking heads 23 to 26 together with the lifting support bases 19b to 22b (lifting rods 23a to 26a) can be freely moved within the X-direction movement range Wx and the Y-direction movement range Wy.

As for the driving means for driving the lifting support bases 19b-22b to rise and fall relative to the lifting rail members 19a-22a, it is sufficient to drive one lifting support base 19b-22b to rise and fall relative to each of the lifting rail members 19a-22a. For example, a rotatable screw shaft of a length that is approximately the entire length of each of the lifting rail members 19a-22a is supported along the Z direction within each of the lifting rail members 19a-22a, and a motor that drives the screw shaft in forward and reverse directions is attached to the upper end of each of the lifting rail members 19a-22a, and a fixed female screw body that screws into the screw shaft is attached to each of the lifting support bases 19b-22b. With this configuration, each of the lifting support bases 19b-22b can be freely raised and lowered by driving the screw shaft in forward and reverse directions using the motor.

Furthermore, as shown in Figs. 1 to 3, a load transfer work area 27 for workers is provided on the floor surface side at the front side in the Y direction of the load transfer work space 9, with a width that can cover the entire width of the load transfer work space 9 in the X direction. Also, above the load transfer work space 9, at a fixed height above the container receiving area 7 of the load transfer target and at a fixed height above the container receiving area 8 of the load transfer target, there are provided an imaging device (camera) 28 that reads from an image the positional information of the load inside the container Cy of the load transfer target located at the container receiving area 7 of the load transfer target, and an imaging device (camera) 29 that reads from an image the area in which the load can be placed inside the container Cx of the load transfer target located at the container receiving area 8 of the load transfer target. These imaging devices 28, 29 are attached to the upper horizontal part of a gate-shaped frame 30 whose legs on both sides in the Y direction are supported by the side frames 5a, 5b.

The method of using the transfer device configured as above will be explained below. This transfer device is capable of automatic operation in which the load unloading/loading unit 1 is operated, and manual operation without using the load unloading/loading unit 1. In either case, the container Cy to be unloaded is sent to the container receiving area 7 to be unloaded by the load conveyor unit 12 of the load unloading/loading conveyor 10 and the container support carrier 14a of the lifting/transfer means 14A. The container Cx to be brought in is sent to the container receiving area 8 to be brought in by the load conveyor unit 12 of the load unloading/loading conveyor 11 and the container support carrier 14b of the lifting/transfer means 14B. In the case of automatic operation, as shown by solid lines in FIG. 4, the four picking heads 23-26 of the load unloading/loading unit 1 wait at the upper limit height and at positions adjacent to the outer corners of the container Cy to be unloaded that has been sent to the container receiving area 7 to be unloaded in a plan view. That is, the movable rail member 17 is located at a waiting position Sp1 in the narrow waiting area Sa1, and the movable rail member 18 is located at a waiting position Sp2 in the wide waiting area Sa2, and the movable bodies 19, 20 and 21, 22 of the movable rail members 17, 18 are located adjacent to the outer corners of the container Cy to be unloaded that has been brought into the container receiving area 7 to be unloaded in a plan view, and the lifting rods 23a-26a equipped thereon wait at the upper limit height of the lifting rail members 19a-22a.

For example, as shown in FIG. 6A, a plurality of small-sized cargoes Bs are stored in a container Cy to be unloaded and brought into a container receiving area 7 to be unloaded, and four small-sized cargoes Bs must be transferred to a container Cx to be loaded into a container receiving area 8 to be unloaded. In this case, the four picking heads 23-26 waiting at the outer corners of the container Cy to be unloaded and at the upper limit position as shown in FIG. 6A are moved to a position directly above the four small-sized cargoes Bs to be unloaded by combining the movement of the movable rail members 17, 18 in the Y direction and the movement of the movable bodies 19, 20 and 21, 22 on each of the movable rail members 17, 18 in the X direction as shown in FIG. 6B, and then the lifting support bases 19b-22b (lifting rods 23a-26a) are lowered relative to the lifting rail members 19a-22a, so that the four picking heads 23-26 come into contact with and adsorb onto the upper surfaces of the four small-sized cargoes Bs to be unloaded. Of course, this is assuming that the picking heads 23-26 are of the negative pressure or magnetic attraction type, but if the load to be handled has a gripped portion at its top and the picking heads 23-26 are of the gripping type equipped with gripping devices for gripping the gripped portion, then the gripping devices of the picking heads 23-26 will grip the gripped portions at the top of the four small loads Bs to be transported. The above operation can be performed automatically based on images captured by the imaging device 28 located directly above the container receiving area 7 from which the load is to be transported.

When each picking head 23-26 is ready to lift the four small-sized cargoes Bs to be removed that are located at predetermined positions in the container Cy to be removed, each picking head 23-26 is lifted up to the maximum lift height together with the small-sized cargoes Bs to be removed. Specifically, the lifting support platforms 19b-22b (lifting rods 23a-26a) are raised up to the maximum lift height relative to the lifting rail members 19a-22a. Thereafter, the lifted small-sized cargo Bs is transferred to a predetermined position (for example, the position shown in FIG. 6B) within the container Cx to be loaded that has been loaded into the container receiving area 8 to be loaded. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 6C, the Y-directional movement of the movable rail members 17, 18 is combined with the X-directional movement of the movable bodies 19, 20 and 21, 22 on each of the movable rail members 17, 18 to move the lifted small-sized cargo Bs to directly above a predetermined position within the container Cx to be loaded, and then the lifting rods 23a-26a are lowered relative to each of the lifting rail members 19a-22a, so that each of the small-sized cargo Bs that was lifted by the picking heads 23-26 can be lowered to a predetermined position within the container Cx to be loaded (see FIG. 6D). Selection of the location for unloading small-sized cargo Bs into the container Cx to be brought in, and confirmation that unloading has been completed can be performed automatically based on images captured by an imaging device 29 located directly above the container receiving area 8 to be brought in.

When the entire small-sized cargo Bs lifted from within the container Cy to be unloaded has moved upward from within the container Cy to be unloaded, the container Cy to be unloaded can be unloaded from the container receiving area 7 to be unloaded at that point. Specifically, the container support conveyor 14a of the lifting and transferring means 14A supporting the container Cy to be unloaded is lowered and connected to the unloading conveyor unit 13, and then the container Cy to be unloaded is unloaded from the container support conveyor 14a onto the unloading conveyor unit 13. This allows the work of unloading the next container Cy to be unloaded into the container receiving area 7 to be unloaded to be started immediately, without waiting for the completion of the transfer of the small-sized cargo Bs to the container Cx to be unloaded.

On the other hand, when the transfer of the small-sized cargo Bs into the container Cx to be loaded is completed as described above, all the picking heads 23-26 are raised to the maximum lift height and then returned to the standby position shown in FIG. 6A. In this case, too, when the lifting rods 23a-26a and the picking heads 23-26 rising from within the container Cx to be loaded move upward from within the container Cx to be loaded, the container Cx to be loaded can be unloaded from the container receiving area 8 to be loaded. Specifically, the container support conveyor 14b of the lifting and transferring means 14B supporting the container Cx to be loaded is lowered and connected to the unloading conveyor unit 13, and then the container Cx to be loaded is unloaded from the container support conveyor 14b onto the unloading conveyor unit 13. This allows the operator to immediately begin the task of transporting the next container Cx to be delivered to the container receiving area 8 without waiting for the picking heads 23-26 to return to the standby positions shown in FIG. 6A.

In the above-mentioned transfer operation of small-sized loads Bs, all picking heads 23 to 26 are described as transferring four small-sized loads Bs simultaneously. This is because each of the picking heads 23 to 26 is capable of lifting and lowering small-sized loads Bs and is in a state in which four small-sized loads Bs can be transferred simultaneously. In one transfer operation, the transfer operation of one to four small-sized loads Bs can be performed. If the number of small-sized loads Bs to be transferred is three or less, one to three of the picking heads 23 to 26 will not be used. However, in order to prevent the movable body 19 to 22 equipped with the picking head that will not be used from interfering with the movement of the other picking heads in the X-Y direction, for example, among the picking heads 23 to 26 that are in the standby position shown in FIG. 6A, the picking head that is closest to the container Cx to be loaded at the container receiving area 8 to be loaded can be selected for use.

Of course, it is also possible to use two picking heads to handle one or two loads, such as medium-sized loads that are long in the Y direction and can be lifted by two picking heads 23, 25/24, 26 that can be adjacent to each other in the Y direction, or medium-sized loads that are long in the X direction and can be lifted by two picking heads 23, 24/25, 26 that can be adjacent to each other in the X direction. Furthermore, it is also possible to handle large-sized loads that must be lifted by all four picking heads 23-26. Figures 7A to 7D explain the situation when one large-sized load Bb is transferred by all four picking heads 23-26. The procedure is basically the same as the transfer work of small-sized load Bs described based on Figure 6, and the difference is that one large-sized load Bb is always lifted, transported in the X-Y direction, and lowered by all four picking heads 23-26. In this case, it is desirable to position the four picking heads 23 to 26 so that they lift positions near the four corners of the top surface of one large-sized load Bb.

As described above, the load unloading/loading unit 1 can be operated to transfer various sizes of loads in the container Cy to be unloaded, which has been brought into the container receiving area 7 to be unloaded, to the container Cx to be unloaded, which has been brought into the container receiving area 8 to be unloaded. However, when the picking heads 23-26 fail or the above work needs to be done manually for some reason, the two movable rail members 17 and 18 in the Y direction are moved into the wide waiting area Sa2 as shown in Figures 1 and 3. That is, the movable rail member 18 is moved backward in the Y direction to its limit position and stopped at the waiting position Sp3, and the movable rail member 17 is moved backward in the Y direction to a position adjacent to the movable rail member 18 and stopped at the waiting position Sp2. The two movable rail members 17 and 18 may be kept waiting adjacent to each other in the Y direction in the wide waiting area Sa2 at each stage when a series of transfer operations using the load unloading/loading unit 1 is completed.

When the preparation for the manual work is completed, the Y-direction front side of the load transfer work space 9, where the container receiving area 7 for the load outgoing object and the container receiving area 8 for the load ingoing object are parallel, is opened, and a worker can stand on the floor of the load transfer work area 27 and manually transfer loads of various sizes from the container Cy for the load outgoing object that has been brought into the container receiving area 7 for the load outgoing object to the container Cx for the load ingoing object that has been brought into the container receiving area 8 for the load ingoing object, without being hindered by the movable rail members 17, 18 and the lifting rail members 19a-22a, lifting rods 23a-26a, and picking heads 23-26. Even when performing this manual load transfer work, the work content can be managed based on the images captured by the imaging devices 28, 29. In addition, the side frames 5a and 5b of the stand 2 supporting the fixed rail members 15 and 16 of the load carrying unit 1 are located on both the left and right sides of the load transfer work space 9 and the load transfer work area 27 in the X direction. The self-supporting strength of these side frames 5a and 5b, in other words the support strength of the load carrying unit 1, is sufficiently obtained by the X-direction connecting member 6 connecting the upper ends of the rear columns 3b in the Y direction, but if necessary, the front columns 3a in the Y direction can also be connected to each other by the X-direction connecting member at a position that does not interfere with the above-mentioned manual work, for example, at approximately the same height as the upper ends of the container Cy to be carried out and the container Cx to be carried in, which are located in the load transfer work space 9. In addition, the X-direction connecting member 6 can also be provided in a position that directly connects the rear ends of the pair of fixed rail members 15 and 16 in the X direction of the load carrying unit 1.

In the above embodiment, container support carriers 14a, 14b that move up and down in a parallel manner in the vertical direction are used as lifting and transferring means 14A, 14B for lifting and transferring containers Cy to be unloaded and containers Cx to be loaded between the loading conveyor unit 12 and the unloading conveyor unit 13 of the loading and unloading conveyor 11 via the respective container receiving areas 7, 8. However, the means for transferring containers Cy, Cx from the end of the loading conveyor unit 12 to the start of the unloading conveyor unit 13 via the respective container receiving areas 7, 8 may be of any configuration.

When the containers Cy, Cx are loaded into and unloaded from the load transfer work space 9 as described above, it is extremely dangerous if a human hand is in the path of the container transfer performed by the container support carriers 14a, 14b during manual operation. Even during automated operation by the load unloading/loading unit 1, if the lifting rods 23a-26a with picking heads 23-26 at their lower ends are in the path of the container transfer, it can induce a malfunction with damage to the equipment. It is necessary to take safety measures to prevent such a situation from occurring, and an example of such a safety measure is described below.

1 and 2, an obstacle detection means 31 can be provided that generates a planar obstacle detection light film 31a that crosses the upper side of the container Cy to be unloaded that is being loaded into the container receiving area 7 of the load transfer work space 9 and the container Cx to be loaded that is being loaded into the container receiving area 8 of the load transfer work space 9 in the X direction from one end outside to the other end outside of the load transfer work space 9. This obstacle detection means 31 can be a light transmission type consisting of a projector 32a arranged on the outside of one end in the Y direction of the load transfer work space 9 and a light receiver 32b arranged on the outside of the other end in the Y direction of the load transfer work space 9, but it may also be a reflection type that uses a light reflector instead of the light projector 32a as a light projector and receiver 32b. The projector (light projector and receiver) 32a and receiver 32b (light reflector) can be attached to the side frames 5a and 5b on both sides in the X direction that constitute the stand 2. This obstacle detection means 31 only needs to be operated for a certain period of time immediately before the lifting and transferring means 14A and 14B are put into operation. If a human hand or the like crosses the obstacle detection light film 31a while the obstacle detection means 31 is in operation, the obstacle detection means 31 outputs an obstacle detection signal, and based on this obstacle detection signal, the operation of the lifting and transferring means 14A and 14B can be brought to an emergency stop and an alarm or lamp can be activated to notify of the emergency stop.

8, it is also possible to use an obstacle detection means 33 that forms the obstacle detection light film 33a in a direction that crosses the upper side of the containers Cy, Cx that are being carried into the container receiving area 7 to be unloaded and the container receiving area 8 to be loaded in the load transfer work space 9 in the front-back Y direction. In this case, the light projector (or light projector/receiver) 34a and the light receiver (or light reflector) 34b can be attached to support frames 35a, 35b that are parallel to the X direction and are installed between a pair of supports 3a in the X direction on the front side of the Y direction of the side frames 5a, 5b that constitute the stand 2 and between the rear supports 3b. In the figure, the light receiver (or light reflector) 34b is placed on the front side of the Y direction of the load transfer work space 9, but it may be placed in the reversed front-back direction. However, the front support frame 35a and the obstacle detection equipment attached to it (the light receiver (or light reflector) 34b and the light projector (or light projector/receiver) 34a) must be installed at a height that does not encroach on the worker's manual work space.

When using the obstacle detection means 33 shown in FIG. 8, as shown in FIG. 9, it is possible to install the obstacle detection means 33A for monitoring the upper side of the container Cy of the object to be carried out that has been carried into the container receiving area 7 of the object to be carried out, and the obstacle detection means 33B for monitoring the upper side of the container Cx of the object to be carried in that has been carried into the container receiving area 8 of the object to be carried in separately. In this case, if the conveyor 10 for carrying in and out including the lifting and transferring means 14A and 14B for carrying in and out is configured to be operated separately, the lifting and transferring means 14A on the carrying in side and the lifting and transferring means 14B on the carrying out side can be operated separately at any timing, while the obstacle detection means 33A and the obstacle detection means 33B are operated at each operation, and the obstacles on the side of the container Cy of the object to be carried out and the obstacles on the side of the container Cx of the object to be carried in can be detected separately by the respective obstacle detection light films 33a and 33b, thereby ensuring safety at all times.

As shown in FIG. 10, when a table 36 that can be used for manual work is installed on the front side of the load transfer work space 9 in the Y direction, the light receiver (or light reflector) 34b or the light projector (or light emitter/receiver) 34a arranged on the front side of the load transfer work space 9 in the Y direction can be attached to the edge of the table 36 on the load transfer work space 9 side or below it. In the figure, the light reflector 34b for the light emitter/receiver 34a is attached to the edge of the table 36 on the load transfer work space 9 side.

Furthermore, as shown in Fig. 11, a gate-shaped support frame 37 through which the containers Cy, Cx can pass in the Y direction is attached to the rear side in the Y direction of each container support carrier 14a, 14b equipped in the lifting and transferring means 14A, 14B, and a light reflector 38b for the light projector/receiver 38a attached to the front support frame 35a (which may be the table 36) shown in Fig. 8 is attached to the horizontal frame part 37a along the X direction at the upper end of this gate-shaped support frame 37 to form the obstacle detection means 33A, 33B. With this configuration, when the container support carrier 14a, 14b starts to lift or lower from a fixed position in the load transfer work space 9, the light projector/receiver 38a can be switched ON to detect obstacles. Of course, in this embodiment, it is also possible to use an obstacle detection means consisting of a combination of a light emitter and a light receiver, and it is also possible to arrange the light emitter and receiver 38a and the light reflector 38b shown in FIG. 11 in mutually opposite positions, but according to the embodiment shown in FIG. 11, there is no need to provide an electrical path between the container support carriers 14a and 14b, which are moving bodies, and the fixed positions, and the obstacle detection means can be constructed simply and easily.

When the obstacle detection means 31, 33, 33A, 33B use the obstacle detection light film 31a, 33a, 33b between the light emitters and receivers, the obstacle detection light film 31a, 33a, 33b means a planar light film projected from the slit-shaped opening of the light emitter, as well as a collection of many light beams projected individually from many light emitters arranged in parallel at appropriate intervals. Of course, the obstacle detection means can also be of a type that does not use the obstacle detection light film between the light emitters and receivers, for example, one that uses an imaging device (camera).

[Supplementary Note 1]
A transfer device according to a first aspect of the present invention is a load-carrying-out unit including two movable rail members, both ends of which are parallel to each other, supported by two Y-direction fixed rail members perpendicular to the X-direction which is the length direction of the movable rail members so as to be movable laterally in parallel, a movable body supported on each of the two movable rail members so as to be movable back and forth in the X-direction, and a picking head capable of lifting a load being provided on each of the movable bodies so as to be liftable and lowerable, and a container receiving area for loading and unloading the load is located below the load-carrying-out unit and within a movable area of the picking head in a plan view. A cargo transfer work space is provided in which the container receiving area to which cargo is to be brought in is arranged side by side in the X direction, and waiting areas for the two movable rail members are set above both outer sides in the Y direction of the cargo transfer work space, one of these waiting areas is a narrow waiting area in which only the one movable rail member closer to this waiting area can wait, and the other waiting area is a wide waiting area in which the two movable rail members can wait adjacent to each other in the Y direction, and a cargo transfer work area for workers is set on the floor surface on the side of the narrow waiting area relative to the cargo transfer work space.

In the transfer device according to aspect 2 of the present invention, in the above aspect 1, the movable bodies on which the picking head is arranged so as to be freely raised and lowered are provided in pairs on each of two movable rail members, and the two movable bodies provided on each movable rail member are arranged so as to be freely movable back and forth between both ends of each movable rail member so that they can be positioned adjacent to each other on either end of the movable rail member.

In the transfer device according to aspect 3 of the present invention, in the above aspect 1 or 2, an obstacle detection means is provided to detect obstacles present above the container brought into the container receiving area for the cargo outgoing and the container brought into the container receiving area for the cargo incoming.

In the transfer device according to aspect 4 of the present invention, in the above aspect 1, a conveyor is provided for carrying containers in and out of the container receiving area from which the cargo is to be removed, and a conveyor is provided for carrying containers in and out of the container receiving area from which the cargo is to be removed, each of these conveyors is provided with an upper and lower two-layered carrying-in conveyor unit and carrying-out conveyor unit, and a lifting and transferring means, and this lifting and transferring means is provided with a container support carrier that moves on a lifting path between the two conveyor units passing through the cargo transfer work space, An obstacle detection means is provided to detect obstacles present above the containers brought into the container receiving area for the cargo to be transported out and the container receiving area for the cargo to be transported in, and this obstacle detection means is composed of a light emitter/receiver and a light reflector, the light reflector being attached to the container support conveyor of the lifting/loading means, and the light emitter/receiver being provided in a fixed position corresponding to the light reflector when the container supported and transported by the container support conveyor is located at each container receiving area within the cargo transfer work space.

In the transfer device according to aspect 5 of the present invention, in the above aspects 3 or 4, the obstacle detection means is divided into two: an obstacle detection means for detecting an obstacle present above a container brought into the container receiving area for the cargo-out destination, and an obstacle detection means for detecting an obstacle present above a container brought into the container receiving area for the cargo-in destination.

[Supplementary Note 2]
The present invention proposes a transfer device capable of solving the problems of the prior art. In order to facilitate understanding of the relationship with the embodiments described below, the transfer device of the present invention will be described with reference symbols used in the description of the embodiments in parentheses. The transfer device of the present invention is a load-carrying-out unit (1) in which both ends of two parallel movable rail members (17, 18) are supported for parallel lateral movement by two Y-direction fixed rail members (15, 16) perpendicular to the X-direction which is the longitudinal direction of the movable rail members (17, 18), movable bodies (19, 21) are supported on each of the two movable rail members (17, 18) for reciprocal movement in the X-direction, and a picking head (23, 25) capable of hoisting a load is provided on each of the movable bodies (19, 21) so as to be capable of lifting and lowering,
Below the load-carrying-in unit (1), within the movable area of the picking heads (23, 25) in a plan view, a load-transfer working space (9) is provided in which a receiving area (7) for a container (Cy) to be unloaded and a receiving area (8) for a container (Cx) to be loaded are arranged in parallel in the X direction, and waiting areas (Sa1, Sa2) for the two movable rail members (17, 18) are set above and on both outer sides of the load-transfer working space (9) in the Y direction. ), one of the waiting areas (Sa1) is a narrow waiting area in which only one movable rail member (17) closest to the waiting area (Sa1) can wait, and the other waiting area (Sa2) is a wide waiting area in which the two movable rail members (17, 18) can wait adjacent to each other in the Y direction, and a load transfer work area (27) for workers is set on the floor surface on the side of the narrow waiting area (Sa1) relative to the load transfer work space (9).

In the transfer device of the present invention configured as above, a container to be unloaded is loaded into a container receiving area for unloading, and a container to be loaded into a container receiving area for unloading is loaded. Once the container is ready for operation, the load unloading/loading unit is operated to lift the load to be lifted in the container to be unloaded by the picking head. Specifically, the two movable rail members in the Y direction are moved laterally in the Y direction, and the movable bodies on each movable rail member are moved in the X direction on each movable rail member, so that the picking heads on each movable platform are positioned directly above the load to be lifted in the container to be unloaded, and then the picking heads are lowered relative to each movable body to make the load to be lifted available. Next, the picking head is raised to a predetermined height relative to each movable body, and the picking head lifts the load to be lifted. Next, the load lifted by the picking head is moved to a predetermined height above the container to be loaded by lateral movement in the Y direction of the two movable rail members and movement in the X direction of the movable bodies on each movable rail member. Next, the picking head is lowered relative to each movable body, and the lifted load is lowered into the container to be loaded. Each picking head is detached from the lowered load, and then each picking head is raised.

According to the transfer device of the present invention that can be used as described above, when the above-mentioned work preparations are complete, the two movable rail members in the Y direction can be kept waiting in waiting areas on both sides above the outer side in the Y direction, i.e., narrow waiting area and wide waiting area, relative to the cargo transfer work space that includes a container receiving area for cargo to be unloaded and a container receiving area for cargo to be brought in, which are arranged in parallel in the X direction. At this time, it is desirable to move the movable bodies on each movable rail member to positions adjacent to both sides in the Y direction of the container receiving area for cargo to be unloaded, which is the subject of the start of work. By having two movable rail members stand by in this way, the picking heads of the movable bodies provided on each movable rail member are distributed and positioned in the front and back in the Y direction of the container to be unloaded that has been brought into the container receiving area from which the container is to be unloaded, so that among the loads to be lifted in the container, the loads on the front side in the Y direction of the container to be unloaded can be lifted by the picking heads standing by at the front side in the Y direction of the container to be unloaded, and the loads on the opposite side, i.e., the rear side in the Y direction, can be lifted by the picking heads standing by at the rear side in the Y direction of the container to be unloaded. Of course, various situations can be considered, such as when the loads to be lifted in the container are biased to either the front or rear in the Y direction or the left or right in the X direction of the container, but overall, the load lifting operation by the picking heads can be performed more efficiently than when two movable rail members in the Y direction are standing by at either the front or rear in the Y direction of the container to be unloaded.

On the other hand, there are cases where the above transfer work must be done manually due to some reason, such as a failure of the picking head. In such cases, a load transfer work area for the worker is set either before or after the load transfer work space in the Y direction, and the worker stands in this load transfer work area and manually transfers the load from the container to be unloaded, which is adjacent to the left and right in the X direction in the load transfer work space as seen from the worker, to the container to be loaded. However, if one of the two movable rail members in the Y direction is located on the side where the worker is standing, the movable rail member will get in the way of the load transfer work performed by the worker. In order to avoid this phenomenon, if the movable rail member located just in front of the worker is moved to the rear, the movable rail member moved to the rear will be located just before the other movable rail member that was originally waiting at the rear, and will cover the rear side of the container to be worked on, getting in the way of the manual load transfer work.

However, according to the configuration of the present invention, when the above-mentioned transfer work must be performed manually, a wide waiting area in which the two movable rail members can be placed adjacent to each other in the Y direction is provided on the opposite side (rear side) of the load transfer work area, so that both of the two movable rail members can be moved and placed on standby in this wide waiting area. Therefore, one of the two movable rail members is not positioned between the worker standing in the load transfer work area and the two containers arranged side by side in the X direction in the load transfer work space, and does not interfere with the manual transfer work, and the movable rail member moved to the rear side and placed on standby does not cover the rear side of the load transfer work space and interfere with the manual transfer work. In other words, the above-mentioned manual load transfer work can be performed safely and easily. Of course, the Y-direction length of the entire Y-direction movement area of the two movable rail members can be kept to a minimum, preventing the entire transfer device from becoming large.

When implementing the present invention, the movable body on which the picking head is provided so as to be freely raised and lowered can be provided on each of the two movable rail members (17, 18), but two of the movable bodies (19, 20 and 21, 22) can be provided on each of the two movable rail members (17, 18), and the two movable bodies (19, 20 and 21, 22) provided on each movable rail member (17, 18) can be provided so as to be freely movable back and forth between both ends of each movable rail member (17, 18) so that they can be positioned adjacent to each other on either side of the movable rail member (17, 18). With this configuration, a total of four picking heads can be provided adjacent to each other in both the X and Y directions to cover the entire area inside the container brought into the container receiving area. Therefore, if the loads to be transferred are small-sized loads that can be lifted and lowered by one picking head, four loads can be handled simultaneously regardless of the position of each load; if the loads are medium-sized loads that can be lifted and lowered by two picking heads aligned in the X or Y direction, two loads can be handled simultaneously; and if the loads are large-sized loads that must be lifted and lowered by four picking heads, only one load can be handled freely and efficiently.

When performing automatic or manual transfer operations using the transfer device according to the present invention, unless the load suspended by the picking head or by hand is completely removed from the container, container loading and unloading operations at each container receiving site cannot be performed safely. Therefore, it is desirable to provide an obstacle detection means (31) for detecting obstacles present above the containers (Cy, Cx) loaded at the container receiving site (7) from which the load is to be unloaded and the container receiving site (8) to which the load is to be loaded. With this configuration, container loading and unloading operations in a situation where loads or hands are present within the obstacle detection area of the obstacle detection means can be automatically avoided based on the obstacle detection signal of the obstacle detection means, improving safety. When implementing this configuration, by using an obstacle detection means (31) that monitors from the X direction for obstacles present above the two containers (Cy, Cx) being carried into the two container receiving areas (7, 8) that are parallel in the X direction, it is possible to ensure safety during the carrying in and carrying out of containers with a single obstacle detection means at both the container receiving area to which cargo is being carried out and the container receiving area to which cargo is being carried in.

The transfer device of the present invention can be configured so that the work of loading and unloading containers to and from the container receiving area for unloading and loading of cargo is performed manually, or it is also possible to provide one conveyor for both container receiving areas for both loading and unloading, but it is preferable to implement it as follows. That is, a conveyor (10) is provided for carrying in and carrying out a container (Cy) to and from the container receiving area (7) from which the cargo is to be transported, and a conveyor (11) is provided for carrying in and carrying out a container (Cx) to and from the container receiving area (8) from which the cargo is to be transported, and each of these conveyors (10, 11) is composed of an upper and lower two-layered carrying-in conveyor unit (12) and carrying-out conveyor unit (13), and lifting and transferring means (14A, 14B), and the lifting and transferring means (14A, 14B) is provided with container support transport bodies (14a, 14b) which move in parallel on a lifting path between the two conveyor units (12, 13) passing through the cargo transfer work space (9), and the container receiving area (8) from which the cargo is to be transported is composed of a conveyor (10) for carrying in and carrying out a container (Cy) to and from the container receiving area (8) from which the cargo is to be transported, and each of these conveyors (10, 11) is composed of an upper and lower two-layered carrying-in conveyor unit (12) and carrying-out conveyor unit (13), and lifting and transferring means (14A, 14B). Obstacle detection means (33A, 33B) are provided for detecting obstacles present above the containers (Cy, Cx) brought into the loading area (7) and the container receiving area (8) to which cargo is to be brought in. The obstacle detection means (33A, 33B) are composed of a light emitter/receiver (38a) and a light reflector (38b). The light reflector (38b) is attached to the container support conveyance body (14a, 14b) of the lifting/transfer means (14A, 14B). The light emitter/receiver (38a) can be provided at a fixed position corresponding to the light reflector (38b) when the containers (Cy, Cx) supported and conveyed by the container support conveyance body (14a, 14b) are located at each of the container receiving areas (7, 8). With this configuration, there is no need to attach devices that require electricity, such as light projectors and receivers, to the moving bodies of the container support carriers (14a, 14b), making it not only easy to implement, but also allowing for the effect of shortening the length of the obstacle detection light film.

Of course, regardless of the configuration of the means for carrying containers in and out of the container receiving site for the outgoing container and the incoming container receiving site, the obstacle detection means can be divided into two: an obstacle detection means (33A) for detecting obstacles present above the container (Cy) carried in the container receiving site (7) for the outgoing container, and an obstacle detection means (33B) for detecting obstacles present above the container (Cx) carried in the container receiving site (8) for the incoming container. With this configuration, even if the containers are carried in and out of the two container receiving sites at different times, obstacle detection can be performed reliably when the containers are carried in and out of each container receiving site, so that safety can be ensured while improving work efficiency compared to when the containers must be carried in and out of the two container receiving sites at the same time.

[Supplementary Note 3]
The transfer device of aspect 1 of the present invention is provided with a load transfer work space in which a first container receiving area and a second container receiving area are aligned in a plan view, and a load transfer work area for workers is set to the front of the load transfer work space in a plan view, and is equipped with a conveyor that is arranged on a side other than the front of the load transfer work space in a plan view and transports containers to and from the first and second container receiving areas, and a load transfer unit that is located above the load transfer work space and has a picking head that is freely movable in three directions along a rail member and can lift loads, and transfers loads between the first and second containers that have been brought into the first and second container receiving areas, respectively.

In the transfer device according to aspect 2 of the present invention, in aspect 1 above, the load transfer operation is switched from an automatic operation performed by the load transfer unit to a manual operation performed by an operator, and the load transfer unit moves the picking head to a position that does not interfere with the manual operation.

In the transfer device according to aspect 3 of the present invention, in aspect 1 or 2 above, a waiting area is provided in which the picking head is kept waiting when the load transfer operation is switched from an automatic operation performed by the load transfer unit to a manual operation performed by an operator.

In the transfer device according to aspect 4 of the present invention, in any one of aspects 1 to 3 above, an imaging device is provided that is positioned above the load transfer work space and captures images of the inside of at least one of the first and second containers.

In the transfer device according to aspect 5 of the present invention, in the above aspect 4, the first container is a container to be transported that contains the cargo to be transferred to the second container, and the imaging device captures images of at least the interior of the first container.

In the transfer device according to aspect 6 of the present invention, in any one of aspects 1 to 5 above, the conveyor includes a first conveyor for loading and unloading the first container to and from the first container receiving area, and a second conveyor for loading and unloading the second container to and from the second container receiving area, and each of the first and second conveyors includes an input conveyor unit and an output conveyor unit arranged in two layers, one above the other, and a transfer means for transferring the first and second containers between the input conveyor unit and the output conveyor unit.

In the transfer device according to aspect 7 of the present invention, in the above aspect 6, the first and second container receiving areas are set at a height between the loading conveyor unit and the unloading conveyor unit, which are arranged in two layers, one above the other.

In the transfer device according to aspect 8 of the present invention, in any one of aspects 1 to 7 above, the load transfer unit is equipped with an obstacle detection means for detecting an obstacle present above at least one of the first and second containers brought into the first and second container receiving areas.

The transfer device of the present invention can be used as a transfer device that can switch between automatic work performed by an automatic device and manual work performed by an operator as needed to transfer cargo from a container to be unloaded into a container to be loaded.

LIST OF SYMBOLS 1 Loading/unloading unit 2 Stand 5a, 5b Pair of X-direction (left-right direction) side frames 6 X-direction connecting member 7 Container receiving area for loading/unloading container 8 Container receiving area for loading/unloading container 9 Loading/unloading work space 10, 11 Loading/unloading conveyor 12 Loading conveyor unit 13 Loading conveyor unit 14A, 14B Lifting/unloading means 14a, 14b Container support conveyor 15, 16 Fixed rail member 15a-16b Movable support platform 17, 18 Pair of Y-direction (front-rear direction) movable rail members 19-22 Movable body 19a-22a Lifting rail member 19b-22b Lifting support platform 23-26 Picking head 23a-26a Lifting rod 27 Loading/unloading work area 28, 29 Imaging device 31, 33, 33A, 33B Obstacle detection means 31a, 33a, 33b Obstacle detection light film 32a, 34a, 38a Light emitter or light emitter/receiver 32b, 34b, 38b Light receiver or light reflector 35a, 35b Support frame 36 Table 37 Gate-shaped support frame Bs Small size cargo Bb Large size cargo Cy Container to be unloaded Cx Container to be loaded Sp1 to Sp3 Waiting positions Sa1 Narrow waiting area Sa2 Wide waiting area Wx X-direction movement range Wy Y-direction movement range

Claims (9)

A transfer device having a cargo transfer work space in which a first container receiving area for a cargo unloading target and a second container receiving area for a cargo carrying target are arranged side by side in a plan view,
a conveyor for carrying containers into and out of the first and second container receiving areas;
a load transferring unit for transferring loads between the first and second containers carried into the first and second container receiving areas, respectively;
Equipped with
the conveyors include a first conveyor for carrying the first container into and out of the first container receiving area, and a second conveyor for carrying the second container into and out of the second container receiving area,
The first and second conveyors are arranged parallel to each other,
Each of the first and second conveyors comprises:
A carry- in conveyor unit and a carry-out conveyor unit;
a transfer means for transferring the first and second containers between the loading conveyor unit and the unloading conveyor unit. A load transfer work area for workers is set in front of the load transfer work space in a plan view,
The transfer device according to claim 1 , wherein the conveyor is disposed on a side different from a front side of the load transfer work space in a plan view. 3. The transfer device according to claim 2, wherein the load transferring work area is disposed at a position facing the conveyor with respect to the load transferring unit. 4. The transfer device according to claim 1, wherein each of the first and second conveyors is configured such that the carry-in conveyor unit and the carry-out conveyor unit are arranged in two layers, one above the other. The transfer device according to claim 4 , wherein each of the transfer means is disposed in the load transfer work space in a plan view. The transfer device according to claim 1 , wherein each of the first and second conveyors is disposed so as to extend from the load transfer work space to one side in a plan view. In a transfer device provided with a load transfer work space in which a first container receiving site and a second container receiving site are arranged side by side,
a conveyor for carrying containers into the first and second container receiving areas;
a load transferring unit for transferring loads between the first and second containers carried into the first and second container receiving areas, respectively;
Equipped with
The load transferring unit is equipped with an obstacle detection means for detecting an obstacle . 8. The transfer device according to claim 7, wherein the obstacle detection means is provided corresponding to each of the first and second containers. 9. The transfer device according to claim 7 or 8, wherein the obstacle detection means detects the obstacle present above the first and second containers.

Images