JPH01247302A - Material collecting device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To improve material storage and collection efficiency, in a material collecting device employed in material distribution field, by driving a rotary storage device based on material storage data upon provision of material collection data and moving a storage cell to a take-out position. CONSTITUTION:Material collection data are stored in a motion memory means 60 of a material collection container 2 an d inputted through a receive antenna 71 and a receive means 70 to a material collection control means 40. The material collection means 40 searches a corresponding storage cell 11 based on stored material storage data, then a carry means 3 moves the container 2 below a corresponding storage device 10 and a control circuit 50 moves the cell 11 to a take-out position. Thereafter, a take-out means 30 is driven to contain a material 1 in the container 2. The contained condition is monitored through a material detection means 52. By such arrangement, amount of data to be processed can be reduced and many types of, material having different shape can be collected efficiently.

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] [Field of Industrial Application] The present invention is an article collection device used in various distribution fields, manufacturing and assembly fields, unmanned stores, etc. The present invention relates to an apparatus for collecting articles or products in predetermined quantities in each collection container, which is particularly suitable for collecting a wide variety of articles.

[Conventional technology]

With the advanced development of the above-mentioned distribution fields, various mechanical improvements have been made to the storage equipment and collection devices used therein, and computer control and management have also been introduced in terms of control for collection. It has become widely adopted. FIGS. 2 and 3 show some conventional examples in which the mechanism of the storage device has been devised.

In the example shown in FIG. 2, relatively small articles 1 are stacked vertically in a large number of magazine racks 5 arranged in an inverted V-shape. The mechanism 5a takes out the articles one by one as shown by the arrows in the figure and drops them into the collection container 2. The collection container 2 is placed on a conveying means 3, and while the collection container 2 is controlled to move to the position of the rack where the items to be collected are stored, a predetermined number of items and items are collected. are collected in collection containers.

The example in Figure 3 is suitable for a collection of relatively large items.
When the article 1 packed in a carton or the like is placed at an appropriate angle θ of the inclined table 6
They are lined up along each lane provided on a slope 6b with It is designed so that it can be dropped into the collection container 2 by sliding it on the slope 6C as shown by the arrow in the figure. Collecting a predetermined number of items into the collection container 2 while moving the collection container 2 using the conveying means 3 to a position below the lane where desired items are stored. Same as previous example.

FIG. 4 shows a conventional example of computer control. In this example, each collection container 2 is attached with a label having a bar code indicating the container number in order to distinguish them from each other. The movement of the collection container 2 is controlled by a conveying means 3, which is shown schematically by lines in the figure. Collection control means 10 which is a computer
0 receives and memorizes the items and quantities to be placed in each collection container from a host computer (not shown). 0The collection containers with barcode labels in the preparation area on the left side of the figure are designated by COD, etc. The number is first read by a reading means 110 having an image sensor 111. The collection control means 100 receives this via the person's capo 101 and, based on the stored contents, first selects a place where there is a take-out means 120 for the article to be put into the collection container 2 via the conveyance means 3. move it to

Next, the collection control means 100 sends the collection data indicating the quantity of the items to be taken out to the take-out control means 140 attached to the take-out means, along with a take-out command and the output capo-1-102. The article is taken out from the crystal storage and placed in the collection container 2. The state of this charging is monitored by a sensor or detection means 141, and each time an article is charged, the removal control means 140 is notified.

In response to this, the take-out control means checks whether the articles have been loaded as scheduled, and if any items are missing, this fact is notified to the collection control means 100 along with a report of the completion of the take-out.

Similarly, after a predetermined number of articles are collected into the collection container 2, the collection container is moved to a location with an operation means 130 such as a button, and the operation control unit receives instructions from the collection control means. Based on the command from the means 150, the operating means 130
The route is divided into routes 3b to 3d in the figure. Of course, if there is a shortage, the collection container will be moved to a route designated for it.

[Problem to be solved by the invention]

However, all of the conventional article collecting devices described above have some problems. For example, in the conventional structures shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the articles that can be handled by the device must be approximately box-shaped. In addition, the structure shown in Figure 2 must not cause deformation when stacked, and the items stored in each rack in Figure 2 and in each lane in Figure 3 must be the same. Therefore, it is necessary to allocate one rack or lane to each item even if the number of items stored is small, and in the case of storing many items and small quantities, the storage device becomes large. Therefore, it is extremely uneconomical from the viewpoint of ridge efficiency.

Furthermore, the computer serving as the collection control means in the example of FIG. 4 must not only store all the items and quantities of the articles to be collected in each of the many collection containers, but also manage a large number of storage crystals. Because of this, a device with a fairly large storage capacity is required, which is expensive, and if the amount of data to be handled is increased too much, the data processing load on the computer will become excessive during the collection work. Sometimes it takes more time to collect items.

In view of the above circumstances, the present invention aims to provide a collection device which is advantageous for automatically collecting a large number of articles in various forms and which requires as little data processing as possible.

(Means for Solving tIB) According to the present invention, the above object is to provide a collection device for collecting predetermined items and quantities of stored products in each collection container. A rotating crystal storage device equipped with a plurality of crystal storage cells capable of storing crystals, a means for rotationally driving the crystal storage device, and a collection container for collecting articles from the crystal storage cells at predetermined positions in the crystal storage device. and collection control means including means for storing the articles stored in each crystal storage cell in the crystal storage device, including the items and quantities of the articles to be collected in the collection container. Collection data is given to the collection control means each time the collection is performed, and the collection control means causes the drive means to drive the crystal storage device based on the collection data and the contents stored in the crystal storage storage means. This is accomplished by activating the take-out means at , and sequentially loading the articles specified by the collection data into the collection container.

As for the rotating crystal storage device mentioned in the above configuration, a vertical or vertical type is advantageous in terms of saving space for installing the crystal storage device, and the crystal storage cell is configured in a box or cage shape. It is desirable to be able to easily store articles of various shapes.

It is advantageous to provide a container for loading articles from above, but to allow the articles to be dropped downwards by simply opening the bottom cover when taking them out. In this case, the position at which the item is taken out by the taking out means is preferably at the bottom or lower end of the crystal storage device, and furthermore, the storage cell in which the desired item is stored in the crystal storage device is moved to this removal position as soon as possible. In order to achieve this, it is advantageous to drive the rotary crystal storage device in both forward and reverse directions by the driving means of the above configuration.

The collection data referred to in the above configuration can be given to the collection control means from the host measuring machine as in the past, but in the present invention, this collection data is collected each time the items are collected into each collection container. Since it is originally intended to be given to the product control means, it is advantageous to attach product collection data to the product collection container and have the product collection control means read this immediately before starting the product collection operation. To attach collection data to each collection container, use a storage means known as an IC memory card made of a semiconductor integrated circuit, especially one that can be written and erased, and attach it to the collection container, and store the stored contents. It is convenient that the information can be read remotely from the collection control means side via a reading means using wireless or the like.

If such a storage means is attached to the collection container, when an item is out of stock, the fact can be written to this storage means through the writing means provided on the collection control means, or the information can be stored in the storage means when the item is actually collected. It is also possible to further improve the accuracy of collection management by rewriting the items and quantities of the collected items in the product container.

[Effect]

As described in the above-mentioned configuration, the crystal storage device used in the product collecting device according to the present invention is of a rotating type, and even when different items are placed in the crystal storage cells, the crystal storage device is moved by the driving means. By driving, any crystal storage cell containing a desired item to be collected can be moved to a predetermined take-out position, and then the item therein can be taken out by the take-out means and collected. Therefore, even if a large number of crystal items are stored, there is no need to increase the number of crystal storage devices, and the required number of crystal storage devices is determined only by the total number of items to be stored. Further, the crystal storage cell of this crystal storage device is a type of container as described above, and the shape of the article is not limited at all as long as the size can fit inside the container.Furthermore, the collection control means of the present invention The only data that needs to be processed in connection with the collection work is the collection data for the collection container during collection, which reduces the amount of data that must be stored and processed, and the collection control means can be small and inexpensive. A computer or microprocessor can be used, and its operating speed can be increased by reducing the amount of data processed.

〔Example〕

Hereinafter, the present invention will be explained in detail with reference to FIG.

A plurality of crystal storage devices 10, which are shown surrounded by a dashed line in the figure, are usually provided in plurality as shown in the figure, and the details of one of them are shown in the figure. The crystal storage device 10 in this example is vertical and has a large number of crystals 1 arranged in two rows as shown in the figure.
For example, several dozen or several crystal storage cells 11 are provided.

Each crystal storage cell 11 is box-shaped or dragon-shaped, and in this example, includes a top lid 11a and a bottom lid 11b that can be opened and closed, and is swingably supported by a pair of chains 12 at the front and rear of the figure. These annular chains 12 are hung on a pair of front and rear sprockets 13 in two places, upper and lower, as shown in the figure, and in this example, by rotating the upper sprocket in both positive and negative directions as shown by the arrows in the figure. , it can be rotated both clockwise and counterclockwise. In order to rotate the crystal storage device in this manner, a drive means 20, for example a motor, is provided. In addition, in this example, for convenience of illustration, the arrangement plane of the crystal storage cells 11 is shown as a parallel arrangement parallel to the direction in which the crystal storage devices 10 are arranged, but as can be easily seen, it is better to use an orthogonal arrangement. This is advantageous in reducing the floor space required for installing a plurality of crystal storage devices.

In this embodiment, each crystal storage cell 11 of the crystal storage device 10
It is best to load the article 1 into the crystal storage device by opening the upper part of the crystal storage cell 11a at the upper end of the crystal storage device as shown in the figure. At the lower end of the device, a take-out means 30 is provided. In this example, the extraction means 30 is the bottom cover 11 of the crystal storage cell 11.
Main body 31 with a simple mechanism to unlock and open b.
and a chute 32 lined with soft rubber or the like for guiding the articles 1 falling from the crystal storage cell into the collection container 2.

In addition, a control circuit 50 connected to the collection control means 40 is incorporated in the crystal storage device 10. and a detection means 52 for detecting the article 1 taken out from the crystal storage cell, which includes a light receiving section 52a and a light emitting section 52b, respectively, and driving the driving means 20. and a command for activating the extraction means 30. The article detection means 52 may be a means such as a limit switch depending on the case. Also, a keyboard 53 can be connected to the control circuit 50 at any time as shown in the figure, and the article 1 can be connected to the storage cell 11. The item or code can now be entered when charging the item.

The collection container 2 which receives the articles 1 below each crystal storage device 10 is placed on a conveyance means 3 such as a conveyor as in the past, and the drive rollers 3a and drive means 4 move between the crystal storage devices in a tact manner. be moved. In this embodiment, each collection container 2 is provided with a storage means 60, which is the aforementioned movable IC memory card, in which the items and quantities of articles to be collected are stored in each collection container 2, as shown in the figure. It can be attached to the side surface etc. in advance. An outline of the internal configuration of this mobile storage means 60 is shown in the upper left part of the figure. This storage means 60 is a card-like thing consisting of a simple computer section 60a, an antenna section 60b, and a power supply section 60c, and the computer section has a RAM 61. C
P062 and ROM 63 are coupled by a bus 64, further connected to the bus 64 are a transmitting circuit 65 and a receiving circuit 67 with an oscillation circuit 66, and are switchably connected to an antenna 69 via a changeover switch 68. There is. This switch 68 is normally placed on the receiving circuit 67 side as usual. Of course, this mobile storage means is powered by a battery or the like.

For communication with the storage means 60 attached to the collection container 2, each antenna 7 is provided on the collection control means 40 side.
Receiving means 70 and transmitting means 80 comprising 1 and 81
are provided, and are connected to the collection control means 40 via communication boats 47 and 48, respectively. The product collection control means 40 is, for example, one microcomputer, and typically includes a RAM 41, a CPU 42, and a ROM 4.
3 is coupled to a bus 44, and is connected to the aforementioned control circuit 50 in each crystal storage device 10 via an input port 45 and an output port 46, of which a RAM 41 serves as a crystal storage storage means in the present invention. Furthermore, the control circuit 5 fulfills its role.
Although it is possible to have all the control operations that should be performed by the product collection control means 40, it is better to separate them as much as possible, as in this example, to reduce the load on the product collection control means and increase the overall operation speed. Although this is desirable, it is also advantageous in terms of cost reduction to integrate the control circuits 50 in a plurality of crystal storage devices 10 into one control circuit or another small computer.

Now that we have explained the structure of each part and the outline of its functions,
The overall operation of the collection device in this embodiment will be explained below. At the start of collection, a movable storage means 60 is attached to the collection container 2, in which collection data regarding the items and quantities of the articles to be collected are stored in advance, along with container numbers, etc. It will be done. When the collection container 2 passes in front of the antenna 71 of the receiving means 70, the collection data in the storage means 60 is read by the receiving means 70 and sent to the collection control means 40. At this time, it is preferable that the receiving means 70 sends an inquiry to the storage means 60 and reads the collection data as a response thereto.

Upon receiving this, the collection control means 40 issues a command to the driving means 4 of the conveyance means 3 to move the collection container 2 below the crystal storage device 10 in which the items in the collection data are stored. Data including the designation of the crystal storage cell containing the article to be taken out is sent to the control circuit 50 in the crystal storage device to instruct collection. Upon receiving this, the control circuit 50 first detects the detection means 5.
After operating the drive means 20 while referring to the signal from the crystal storage cell 11 to move the specified crystal storage cell 11 to the take-out position, a command is sent to the take-out means 30 to move the article 1 from the crystal storage cell 11 to the collection container 2. Charge it to This charging status is determined by the article detection means 52.
and a control circuit 50, and if there is an abnormality such as a missing item, the $ control circuit 50 notifies the collection control means 40 of this fact.

While moving the collection containers 2 sequentially under the ridge device 10 as described above, after loading the items and quantities specified in the collection data into them, the collection containers 2 are moved. It passes in front of the antenna 81 of the transmitting means 80, and at this time, the stored contents in the storage means 60 attached to the collection container are updated as necessary. If there is an abnormality in the S item, that fact is of course written, or the item and quantity of the actually collected items are written in the storage means 60 as collection data.

In this way, by reflecting the actual collection results in the storage contents of the storage means 60, the accuracy or reliability of the collection work can be improved.

Note that the crystal storage storage means 41 in the collection control means 40 stores data collected by means such as the keyboard 53 mentioned above for all crystal storage devices, and updates the stored contents each time collection is performed. The process is the same as before.

As can be seen from the description of the embodiments above, the present invention is not limited to these specific examples, and can be implemented in eight various ways or forms.

[Effects of the Invention] As described in Section 7, in the present invention, in order to collect predetermined items and quantities of crystallized products in each collection container, first, a plurality of crystallized crystallized products are collected. Items are stored in a rotating crystal storage device equipped with a box-shaped or cup-shaped crystal storage cell, so the items handled can be handled regardless of their shape, even if they are soft and easily crushed. good.

In addition, in the present invention, even if different items are stored in each crystal storage cell, a means for rotationally driving the ridge device and a predetermined position in the ridge device are provided, as can be seen from the above embodiments. means for taking out the articles from the storage cell in the collection container;
Unlike conventional methods, it is possible to smoothly collect items by using an item collection control means that includes means for storing items stored in each crystal storage cell in the crystal storage device. Can be handled with a small number of crystal storage devices. moreover,
In the present invention, collection data including the items and quantities of articles to be collected in the collection container is provided to the collection control means for each collection, so the amount of data processed by the collection control means is lower than that of the conventional method. This makes it possible to utilize small computer means, and at the same time to speed up its operation and shorten the collection time.

The automatic collection device of the present invention having such effects is suitable for a wide range of applications such as conventional distribution fields and manufacturing and assembly fields, and since the rotating crystal storage devices each have an independent structure, it can be used for heating, refrigerating, and freezing. The above-mentioned effects can be achieved even in new fields where products or foods are handled.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a configuration circuit diagram showing an embodiment of a collection device according to the present invention. From FIG. 2 onwards, regarding the prior art, FIGS. 2 and 3 are perspective views of different conventional collection devices, and FIG. 4 is a configuration circuit diagram showing the control system. 2: Collection container, 2a: Barcode label, 3: Conveyance means, 3a: Roller, 4: Drive means for conveyance means, 5: Crystal storage rack, 5a: Article cutting mechanism, 6
: Inclined platform, 6a: Article locking means, 6b = slope, 6c: steep slope, 10: ridge device, 11: crystal storage cell, lla: top cover of crystal storage cell, llb: bottom cover of crystal storage cell, 12: Chain, 13: Sprocket, 20: Driving means for crystal storage device, 30; Article retrieval means, 31: Main body of the retrieval means, 32:
Chute, 40: Collection control means or computer, 41:
Storage storage means or RAM. 42: CPU, 43: ROM, 44: Bus, 4
5: input port, 46: output port, 47.48: communication port, 50: control circuit, 51: storage cell detection means, 52: article detection means, 60: moving storage means, 60a
: Computer section, 60b: Communication section, 60c: Power supply section, 61:
RAM as storage means, 62: CPIJ, 63: RO
M, 64: bus, 65: transmission circuit, 66: oscillation circuit,
67: Receiving circuit, 68: Switch, 70: Receiving means, 7
1: receiving antenna, 80: transmitting means, 81: transmitting antenna. Agent Ben J! Kamiyamaguchi Jl□. Figure 2 Figure 3

Claims (1)

[Claims] A rotary storage device that collects stored items in predetermined quantities in each collection container, the storage device being equipped with a plurality of storage cells each capable of storing different items;
means for rotationally driving the storage device, means for taking out articles from storage cells at predetermined positions in the storage device into a collection container, and means for taking out articles stored in each storage cell in the storage device collection control means including storage means, supplies collection data including the items and quantities of articles to be collected in each collection container to the collection control means, and sends the collection data and the collection data from the collection control means to the collection control means. Based on the stored contents in the stored goods storage means, the driving means drives the goods storage device and operates the take-out means to sequentially charge the goods designated by the goods collection data into the goods collection container. A collection device characterized by: