JPH0335209B2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed description of the invention]

(Industrial Application Field) The present invention provides a rotary shelf in which an endless series of load supports, such as trays, can be rotated in an endless path, at any position on the endless path. The present invention relates to a control method for calling an arbitrary tray to a set load transfer station. (Prior art and its problems) The conventional carousel control method sets a load transfer station at a specific location on the endless path of the tray, and this load transfer station is also equipped with tray detection means. The rotation of the rotating shelf was controlled so that the tray number detected using the tray detection means became the tray number set to be called to the load transfer station. In this type of control method, in order to change the position of the load transfer station or increase or decrease the number of settings,
Unless the position of the tray detection means is also changed integrally with the load transfer station or the number of settings is increased or decreased, normal tray recall control cannot be performed thereafter. In order to solve these problems,
As described in Publication No. 56-104610, a tray detection means is installed at a position away from the load transfer station, and the distance (number of trays) between this tray detection position and the load transfer station is taken into consideration. A conceivable method is to control the rotation of the rotary shelf so that the tray that is the distance away from the tray to be called to the load transfer station is called to the tray detection position, but as described in the above publication, if the load transfer station If the tray is fixed at one location, the tray detection position can be set as close as possible to the load transfer station, but if the tray or other load support rotates in a horizontal endless path, the tray detection position can be set as close as possible to the load transfer station. In the case of a horizontal rotating shelf where the total length of the horizontal endless path is large, if the load transfer station is set at multiple arbitrary locations, the set position of the load transfer station. In some cases, the distance between the load transfer station and the fixedly installed load support detection position becomes very long, and the drive chain that connects the load supports in an endless manner stretches.
Even if it is possible to accurately call the specified load support to the load support detection position, the position of the load support called to the load transfer station may deviate significantly, making safe load transfer operations impossible. arise. (Means for Solving the Problems) The present invention solves the above-mentioned disadvantages in a horizontal rotating shelf configured such that a load transfer station can be set at any position in a horizontal endless path. In order to prevent this from occurring, load support detection positions are set at multiple positions that equally divide the horizontal endless path into multiple areas, and each load support is assigned an order from the load support that is the origin. When a corresponding unique number is set and one or more load transfer stations are set, the nearest load support detection position for each load transfer station is stored in advance as the corresponding detection position, and each The number of load supports between the load transfer station and the corresponding detection position is stored in advance as an offset value, and the load support call settings are performed by specifying the load transfer station to be called and specifying the load to be called to the load transfer station. of supports
No., and the load support No. that has been called and set.
From the offset value corresponding to the specified load transfer station, the load support number to be called to the detection position corresponding to the specified load transfer station is calculated, and the load of the calculated load support number is calculated. The present invention proposes a method for controlling a rotating shelf, characterized in that the rotation of the rotating shelf is controlled so that a support is called to a detection position corresponding to the specific load transfer station. (Example) An example of the present invention will be described below based on the attached illustrative drawings. In FIG. 1, reference numeral 1 denotes a horizontally rotating rotary shelf, which is equipped with a large number of load supports, such as trays 3, which are endlessly connected by a drive chain 2. As shown in FIG. As shown in the figure, each of these trays 3 is set with unique tray numbers 1 to 20 corresponding to the order from the origin tray 3a, with the origin tray 3a being No. 1. The drive chain 2 is driven by an electric motor 4 in any forward or reverse direction. Detection positions A and B are set on the endless path of the tray 3 at positions that approximately divide the endless path into two, and each detection position has a tray detector 5 and an origin detector as shown in FIG. A container 6 is provided. Further, on the endless path of the tray 3, a plurality of load transfer stations ST1 to ST4 are set at arbitrary positions. As shown in FIG. 2, all the trays 3 are each provided with a detection plate 7 that is detected by the tray detector 5, and the origin tray 3a, which is the No. 1 tray, is attached to each tray 3 to be detected by the tray detector 5.
In addition to the detection target plate 7, an origin detection target plate 8, which is detected by the origin detector 6, is attached. In FIG. 3, 9 is a current tray number detection function in the control computer, which detects the detection plate 7 of passing trays 3a and 3 at each detection position A and B. The detection signal of the device 5 is
When the rotary shelf 1 rotates in the forward direction, it performs addition counting, and when it rotates in the reverse direction, it performs subtraction counting.
The current tray No.Fa at the detection position A and the current tray No.Fb at the detection position B are output using the detection signal of the origin detector 6 which detects the origin detection plate 8. Before actually operating the above-mentioned carousel 1 to carry in and carry out cargo, the following data creation and registration work is performed using a control computer. That is, for each of the load transfer stations ST1 to ST4, the closest detection position A or B is selected regardless of the rotation direction, and furthermore, each load transfer station ST1 to ST4 and the selected detection position A or B are selected. The distance between the trays (number of trays), that is, the offset value, is determined in relation to the rotation direction and stored in the control computer as data for searching the use detection position and offset value for each load transfer station. urge Taking the layout in Figure 1 as an example,

The data in [Table] is created and stored. After the data creation and registration work described above is completed, when actual work is to be performed, the following control is performed by the control system shown in FIG. That is, load transfer stations ST1 to ST4 and No.1
~ Select the tray call load transfer station and call tray number from the tray number No. 20 and set it on the input keyboard of the control computer, and the set tray call load transfer station number. The use detection position A or B and the offset value C are searched by the search function 10 of the computer from the data registered as described above. Furthermore, from this offset value C and the set call tray No.D, the call tray No.E at the detection position A or B to be used is determined by the calculation function 11.
It is calculated by This calculation is performed by the calculation program shown in the flowchart of FIG. In FIG. 4, Max is the maximum number of trays. For example, the layout in Figure 1 (maximum number of trays Max = 20)
In this case, if the load transfer station... ST2 Call tray No.... D = 11 is set, the detection position to be used from the registered data is A offset value... C = -3. is searched, and the calculation function 11 determines the call tray number at the detection position A to be used.
...E=8 is required. On the other hand, the selection function 12 operates according to the use detection position A or B searched by the search function 10, and the current tray No. Fa at the detection position A output from the current tray number detection function 9 is selected. Among the current tray number Fb at the detection position B, the current tray number corresponding to the retrieved use detection position A or B is inputted into the comparison calculation function 13. For example, according to the above example, since the detection position to be used is A, the current tray No. Fa at detection position A is input to the comparison calculation function 13. Next, the comparison calculation function 13 calculates the call tray No.E at the detection position A or B obtained by the calculation function 11 and the current tray No.Fa or Fb at the detection position A or B. Perform calculations to determine the rotation direction. This calculation is performed by the calculation program shown in the flowchart of FIG. Taking as an example the case where the setting conditions are as described above, the called tray number at detection position A is E = 8, and the current tray number is Fa = 2 (the state shown in Figure 1), the calculation is performed. The rotation direction command G is normal rotation. That is, the rotation direction in which the tray travels a shorter distance is selected. Loading station and calling tray as mentioned above
After the No. setting operation, the motor control panel 14, which operates upon receiving the start command H, operates as shown in FIG. As a result of operating the electric motor 4 shown in a predetermined direction, the rotating shelf 1 rotates in a predetermined direction. Further, the motor control panel 14
performs appropriate acceleration control on the electric motor 4. As the rotating shelf 1 rotates, the current tray No. Fa or Fb at the detection position A or B, which is input to the comparison calculation function 13 of the control computer, changes every moment.
This comparison calculation function 13 constantly calculates the difference between the called tray No. E at the detection position A or B and the current tray No. Fa or Fb at the same detection position, and calculates the difference depending on the size of the difference. A deceleration command I is sent to the motor control panel 14, and a stop command J is sent to the motor control panel 14 when the called tray No. E at the detection position A or B matches the current tray No. Fa or Fb at the same detection position. and output it. As a result, the carousel 1 decelerates at an appropriate time and stops when the tray 3 of the predetermined call tray No. E arrives at the predetermined detection position A or B. According to the above example, the carousel 1 rotates in the forward rotation direction and stops when the tray 3 with tray No. E=8 arrives at the detection position A. As a result, tray No. D =
Tray 3 of 11 is being called. Incidentally, the method of controlling the deceleration and stop of the rotating shelf 1 is not limited to the method of the above embodiment. For example, a pulse encoder that is linked to the rotation of the carousel 1 and an addition/subtraction counter that adds and counts the emitted pulses from this pulse encoder when the carousel rotates in the normal direction and subtracts and counts the carousel when the carousel rotates in the reverse direction are used. A method is used in which the position of the rotating shelf 1 corresponding to B can be accurately detected from the count value of the addition/subtraction counter, and deceleration and stop control is performed by comparing the count value of the addition/subtraction counter with a set value. You can also do that. (Operations and Effects of the Invention) As described above, according to the carousel control method of the present invention, no matter where one or more load transfer stations are set, the most Close load support detection position,
As long as the offset value corresponding to the number of load supports between the load support detection position and the load transfer station is memorized, the load transfer station to which the load support should be called and the load transfer station can be easily identified. When the load support No. to be called to the station is set, the load support No. that is set to be called and the offset value corresponding to the specified load transfer station are used to correspond to the specified load transfer station. The load support No. to be called to the detection position corresponding to the specific load transfer station is calculated, and the rotary shelf is rotationally controlled so as to call the load support with the calculated load support No. to the detection position corresponding to the specific load transfer station. As a result, the load support with the target number can be automatically called to the target load transfer station. In other words, no matter how one or more load transfer stations are set and used, the load support detection position remains fixed, and the load support can be automatically installed at any load transfer station. In particular, according to the control method of the present invention, no matter where the load transfer station is set, the distance between the load transfer station and the load support detection position can be set to an endless distance. This can be kept to one-fourth or less of the total length of the route. Therefore,
Despite the distance between the load transfer station and the load support detection position, the extent to which the elongation of the drive chain that connects the load supports in an endless manner affects the positional shift of the load support called to the load transfer station is significant. becomes smaller. For this reason, even though the load transfer station can be set at any number of locations on a large horizontal rotary shelf with a long horizontal endless path, the load transfer station can always be placed precisely at the specified location. Load support equipment can be called and stopped to safely perform load transfer work.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

Figure 1 is a schematic plan view showing the entire rotating shelf;
The figure is a perspective view showing the relationship between the detection plate of the tray and the detector, Figure 3 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the control system, and Figure 4 is a calculation program that calculates the tray number to be called to the detection position. FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating a calculation program for calculating the rotation direction of the rotating shelf. 1... Rotary shelf, 2... Drive chain, 3... Tray (3a... Origin tray), 4... Drive electric motor,
5...Tray detector, 6...Origin detector, 7...
Detection plate, 8...Detection plate for origin, A, B...Detection position, ST1 to ST4...Load transfer station.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. In a rotary shelf configured to rotate an endless series of load supports in a horizontal endless path, and to set a load transfer station at any position in the horizontal endless path, the above-mentioned Load support detection positions are set at multiple positions that equally divide the horizontal endless path into multiple areas, and each of the load supports is assigned a unique number corresponding to its order from the load support serving as the origin; When one or more load transfer stations are set, the nearest load support detection position for each load transfer station is stored in advance as the corresponding detection position, and the relationship between each load transfer station and the corresponding detection position is stored in advance. The number of load supports in between is stored in advance as an offset value, and load support call settings are made by specifying the load transfer station to be called and the number of the load support to be called to the load transfer station. From the set load support No. and the offset value corresponding to the specified load transfer station, calculate the load support No. to be called to the detection position corresponding to the specified load transfer station, and calculate this load support No. A method for controlling a rotary shelf, comprising controlling the rotation of the rotary shelf so that a load support having the calculated load support number is called to a detection position corresponding to the specific load transfer station.