JPH0940107A - Goods transport system - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Abstract] [PROBLEMS] In order to send the load detection result by the detection roller on the loading platform to the control device on the ground side, complicated wiring or expensive transmitter and receiver are required. SOLUTION: On a side frame 4 of a chain conveyor 2,
By using the T-shaped groove 4a, the light emitting / receiving sensor 54 is attached, and the reflector 53 is attached to the outer surface of the vertical rail 33 of the loading platform 30. The optical axis between the light emitting / receiving sensor 54 and the reflector 53 is configured to cross the article mounting surface of the luggage carrier 30. Further, a detection roller 51 which is swung by the striker 40 provided on the loading platform 30 is attached to the side frame 4, and the light emitting and receiving sensor 54 detects the load only when the detection roller 51 is swung. To do.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an article conveying system which is conveyed on a chain conveyor and which has a loading platform having an article placing surface and a fork insertion space formed below the article placing surface.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in an article transport system provided with a chain conveyor and a loading platform which is transported on the chain conveyor and has a fork insertion space formed below the article placement surface, for example, on the loading platform. A detection roller is provided in the above, and the detection roller detects the load by swinging by the transported object placed on the article placement surface. Then, the control device on the ground side controls the drive of the chain conveyor according to the result of the load detection.

[0003]

However, in such a conventional article conveying system, in order to send the result of the load detection detected on the loading platform to the control device on the ground side,
The detection roller and the control device were connected by wiring, or a transmitter was installed on the loading platform side and a receiver was installed on the ground side to receive signals from the transmitter in a non-contact state. Wiring between the sides is difficult, and a transmitter and a receiver that exchange signals in a non-contact state are expensive. In addition, there is a possibility that the signal from the transmitter may not be accurately received by the receiver depending on the surrounding conditions.

The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide an article carrying system capable of detecting loading on a cargo bed with a simple and easy wiring.

[0005]

In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the invention according to claim 1 is directed to a chain conveyor, an article mounting surface conveyed on the chain conveyor, and a fork formed below the article mounting surface. An article transport system having a loading platform having an insertion space, and an optical axis crossing the article placement surface, and a light emitting / receiving sensor on the ground side and a reflector provided on the loading platform side.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, a T-shaped groove is formed in the side frame of the chain conveyor along the longitudinal direction, and the light emitting and receiving sensor is attached to the side frame by utilizing the T-shaped groove. It is supposed to be.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, the detecting means for detecting the detected portion of the loading platform at the transfer position is provided on the ground side, and the load detection by the light emitting and receiving sensor detects the detected portion by the detecting means. It should be performed only when it is detected.

The present invention has the following functions. According to the first aspect of the present invention, when the transported object is placed on the article mounting surface of the loading platform, the optical axis is shielded by the transported object, so that the light emitting and receiving sensor detects the reflected light from the reflector. Cannot receive light.

[0009]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings, but the present invention is not limited to the following examples without departing from the gist of the present invention. In this specification, the front means the upper side in FIG. 1, the rear means the lower side in FIG. 1, and the left means the left side in FIG.
Right means the right side of the figure. Further, in the present specification, the inside of the article transport system 1 is the side toward the center line of the chain conveyor 2 in the left-right direction, and the outside is the opposite side.

The system according to the present embodiment is an automatic warehouse having a stacker crane 61 having a slide fork and capable of traveling in the front-rear direction, and a pair of left and right racks 62, 62 provided on both sides of the traveling passage. System 60,
It is composed of a pair of left and right article transport systems 1, 1 provided adjacent to the automatic warehouse system 60. still,
The following description will be given for the article transport system 1 on the right side,
The left side is bilaterally symmetric, so the description is omitted.

In the automatic warehouse system 60, a safety fence 63 and a control board 64 are provided further behind the rear end of the traveling passage of the stacker crane 61. This safety fence 63
And the control panel 64 has a continuous U-shape in plan view,
An operator cannot enter the traveling passage from behind.

The article conveying system 1 has a chain conveyor 2 which is provided so as to be continuous with the rack 62 with the longitudinal direction being the front-rear direction, and a loading platform 30 which is conveyed on the chain conveyor 2. The front end of the chain conveyor 2 is adjacent to the rear end of the rack 62 and serves as a loading / unloading station of the automatic warehouse system 60, and the rear end of the chain conveyor 2 serves as a delivery station for a forklift or the like.

The chain conveyor 2 has a pair of left and right conveyor units 3 and 3 arranged in parallel. The conveyor unit 3 includes a side frame 4 whose longitudinal direction faces the front-back direction.
And a drive unit 5 provided at the front end of the side frame 4 and a driven unit 1 provided at the rear end of the side frame 4.
2 and a chain 20 suspended on a drive sprocket 10 and a driven sprocket 17, which will be described later. A plurality of connecting bars 22 are provided to the left and right conveyor units 3 and 3 at predetermined intervals in the front and back by utilizing a T-shaped groove 4a formed in the side frame 4 which will be described later.

The side frame 4 has a length corresponding to the place of installation, the size of the object to be conveyed, etc., and is made of an extruded metal material such as aluminum. The T-shaped groove 4 is long in the front-rear direction.
a. In this specification, the T-shaped groove 4a means
It refers to a groove in which projecting edges facing each other are formed in the opening edge, and includes grooves having projecting edges facing each other in the opening edge even if the cross-sectional shape is other than T-shaped. By using the T-shaped groove 4a, bolts and nuts, etc., the drive unit 5, the driven unit 7, the connecting rails 22 and the like are attached to the side frame 4.

Next, the support structure of the side frame 4 will be described. The side frame 4 is supported by the first support member 23 and the second support member 24. The first support member 23 is
It has an inner side surface support portion 23a that abuts on the inner side surface of the side frame 4 and supports the side frame 4 from the inside, and a lower surface support portion 23b that abuts the lower surface of the side frame 4 and supports the side frame 4 from below. are doing. A bolt insertion hole 25 is formed in the inner side surface support portion 23a.
An adjusting bolt 26 fixed to a horizontal piece 24b of the second support member 24, which will be described later, is inserted therein. Adjustment bolt 26
A pair of upper and lower nuts 27, 27 sandwiching the insertion portion into the bolt insertion hole 25 are screwed into the nut.
By screwing 7 into the adjustment bolt 26,
The support member 23 can be moved up and down. The T formed on the lower surface of the side frame 4 is provided on the upper surface of the lower surface support portion 23b.
A convex portion that engages with the shaped groove 4a is provided so that the side frame 4 and the first support member 23 do not relatively shift left and right. The first support member 23 is attached to the side frame 4 by screwing a bolt into a nut piece inserted into the T-shaped groove 4a through a through hole formed in the inner side surface support portion 23a.

The second support member 24 is in contact with the outer side surface of the side frame 4 and supports the outer side surface 4 from the outside, and a horizontal piece bent inward at the lower end of the outer side support portion 24a. 24b. A long hole 28 that is long in the vertical direction is formed in the outer side surface support portion 24a, and a bolt is screwed into a nut piece inserted into the T-shaped groove 4a through the long hole 28, whereby the second support member 2
4 is attached to the side frame 4. In the horizontal piece 24b, the adjustment bolt 2 is provided on the upper surface of the first support member 23 directly below the inner side surface support portion 23a with the axis center in the vertical direction.
6 is fixed by welding. The anchor bolt 2 is provided slightly inside the fixing position of the adjusting bolt 26.
The horizontal piece 24b is fixed to the ground by means of 9, and the fixing work by the anchor bolt 29 can be easily performed without being disturbed by the first support member 23 and the like, and the horizontal piece 24b is pulled upward by the adjusting bolt 26. It is prevented from being lifted or bent upward.

With this structure, the adjusting bolt 26
The height of the side frame 4 can be easily adjusted by the height adjusting mechanism including the nut 27. That is, when the chain conveyor 2 is installed, after the side frame 4 is supported by the first support member 23 and the second support member 24, the nuts 27 and 27 are screwed to adjust the side frame 4 to a predetermined height. , Both support members may be attached to the side frame 4.

In the present embodiment, the adjustment bolt 26 is located not at the side of the side frame 4 but at the side thereof.
Even if the height of the side frame 4 cannot be made too high, the adjustment bolt 26 can be arranged, and the liner is not required, and the height of the side frame 4 can be easily adjusted. Further, the adjustment bolt 26 is welded to the upper surface of the horizontal piece 24a of the second support member 24 to connect the first support member 23 and the second support member 24, and the side frame 4 is connected to both support members. Since it is supported from both the left and right sides and from below, it is firmly supported while preventing rolling and falling.

The drive unit 5 includes a sprocket opening 6
And a rotary shaft 8 in the casing 7.
Forward / reverse rotatable motor 9 having a speed reducer and a brake device attached so that the axis of
And a drive sprocket 10 fitted and fixed to the rotary shaft 8 so that the upper portion is exposed from the sprocket opening 6;
The cover 11 covers a required part of the casing 7. By driving the bolts into the nut pieces inserted into the T-shaped grooves 4a through the through holes formed in the casing 7 and the cover 11, the drive unit 5 is mounted on the side frame 4
Mounted on

The driven unit 12 has a casing 1 having a sprocket opening 13 and a long hole 14 elongated in the front-rear direction.
5 and a sprocket shaft 16 which is fitted in the elongated hole 14 of the casing 15 so as to be movable back and forth, and has a shaft center oriented in the left-right direction.
And this sprocket shaft 16 has a sprocket opening 13
It has a driven sprocket 17 rotatably fitted through a bearing so that the upper part of the casing is exposed, and a cover 18 covering a required portion of the casing 15. The driven unit 12 is attached to the side frame 4 at the casing 15 and the cover 18 by the same means as the casing 7 and the cover 11. The driven unit 12 has a tension device 19 for moving the sprocket shaft 16 back and forth within the elongated hole 14, and the tension of the chain 20 is moved by the back and forth motion of the driven sprocket 17 accompanying the back and forth motion of the sprocket shaft 16. It can be adjusted.

The upper and lower straight portions 20 of the chain 20 which is hung on the driving sprocket 10 and the driven sprocket 17.
"a" is mounted on a chain guide rail 21 made of synthetic resin and having a convex cross section. The chain guide rail 21 is fitted in the T-shaped groove 4a of the side frame 4 so as not to come out upward, and its front and rear ends are in contact with part of the casings 7 and 15 so as not to shift in the front and rear direction. ing.

On the chain conveyor 2 configured as described above, the loading platform 30 having the article placement surface and the fork insertion space 36 formed therebelow is placed. Since the carrier 30 is not attached to the chain 20,
Even when a pallet or the like is directly placed on the chain 20 and conveyed, the cargo bed 30 can be easily removed to handle the situation.

The loading platform 30 includes a pair of right and left front and rear connecting bars 31 arranged at substantially equal intervals to the conveyor units 3 and 3 arranged in parallel, and a lower left and right connecting bar 32 passed between the end portions of the front and rear connecting bars 31. And a vertical bar 33 that is erected at the connecting portion of each connecting bar (at each apex position of the rectangle formed by both connecting bars).
And an upper left and right connecting bar 34 extending in parallel to the lower left and right connecting bars 32 between the upper ends of the vertical bars 33. A horizontal plane including the upper surfaces of the upper and right connecting bars 34 serves as an article mounting surface, and a drop preventing member 35 inclined upward and outward is provided at an upper end portion of the vertical bar 33. An article to be conveyed such as a pallet placed on the article placement surface is prevented from falling due to its horizontal movement being restricted by the fall prevention member 35. The height of the upper end of the drop prevention member 35 is low on the side where the transfer is performed between the drop prevention member 35 and the stacker crane 61, and the transferred articles are less likely to collide with the drop prevention member 35 during the transfer operation. ing.

The vertical rail 33 has a length that allows fork insertion such as a stacker crane 61 and a forklift, and is surrounded by four vertical rails 33 below the article mounting surface and above the front and rear connecting rails 31. The space becomes the fork insertion space 36.

Next, the means for preventing the lateral displacement of the loading platform 30 will be described. The platform 30 is mounted on the chain 20 on the lower surface (chain mounting surface) of the front and rear connecting bars 31. On the lower surface of the right-and-left front-to-back connecting bar 31, the front end portion and the rear end portion have projecting portions 37 that project downward so as to sandwich the chain 20 from both left and right sides. This protrusion 37 is the chain 20.
By hitting the side surface of the chain 30, it is possible to prevent the loading platform 30 from shifting in the left-right direction (lateral displacement), rotating horizontally, and further, dropping from the chain 20. The protrusion 37 may be provided on the right front end and the left rear end, or on the left front end and the right rear end.

Next, means for preventing the lifting of the loading platform 30 will be described. On the lower surface of the front and rear lower left and right connecting bars 32,
A first floating prevention member 39 having a first horizontal protruding piece 38 that horizontally protrudes outward is provided at the left end portion and the right end portion. Further, on the outer surface of the left and right front and rear connecting bars 31, a convex portion 41 having a screw hole penetrating in the front-rear direction is provided at the front end portion and the rear end portion, and the stop bolt 42 is provided in the screw hole of the convex portion 41. Is screwed on.

By utilizing the T-shaped groove 4a on the inner surface of the side frame 4 of the chain conveyor 2, when the loading platform 30 is at the front end portion or the rear end portion (transfer position), the rear two or the front two. A second lifting prevention member 44 is attached so as to face the first lifting prevention member 39. The second floating prevention member 44 has a second horizontal protruding piece 43 that horizontally projects inward, and when the first floating prevention member 39 and the second floating prevention member 44 face each other, The second horizontal protruding piece 43 is positioned immediately above the horizontal protruding piece 38.

A box-shaped cover bracket 45 having a top wall 46, a side wall 47, a bottom wall 48 and a back wall 49 is formed by utilizing the T-shaped groove 4a on the outer surface of the front end and the rear end of the side frame 4. Installed. A buffer member 50 made of a resin having elasticity is provided on the upper inner surface of the back wall 49 of the cover bracket 45.

With this structure, the tip (head) of the stopping bolt 42 collides with the cushioning member 50 and the loading platform 3
0 is stopped at the transfer position. Since the shock at the time of this collision is absorbed by the elasticity of the cushioning member 50, the cargo bed 30, the cover bracket 45, etc. are not damaged by the collision. Further, by finely adjusting the stop position of the loading platform 30 by screwing the stop bolt 42 to move it in the front-rear direction.

When the loading platform 30 is in the transfer position, the first
The upper surface of the horizontal projecting piece 38 contacts the lower surface of the second horizontal projecting piece 43, and the upper surface of the convex portion 40 contacts the inner surface of the top wall 46 of the cover bracket 45. The lifting of the loading platform 30 is restricted, and the loading platform 30 from the transport surface of the chain conveyor 2 at the time of transfer is loaded.
Is prevented from rising.

Next, detection of arrival of the loading platform 30 will be described. On the lower surface of the front and rear lower left and right connecting bars 32, a plate-like striker 40 (detected portion) whose front and rear ends are bent upward slightly inward of the first floating prevention member 39 on the left side
Is provided. Further, on the inner surface of the left side frame 4, a detection roller 51 (detection means) that is swingable at the position where the striker 40 is located when the loading platform 30 is at the transfer position is attached. The detection roller 51 is attached to the side frame 4 by utilizing the T-shaped groove 4a via a necessary bracket.
With such a configuration, when the detection roller 51 is swung by the striker 40, it is detected that the loading platform 30 has arrived at the transfer position.

Next, detection of loading on the article mounting surface of the loading platform 30 will be described. The reflectors 53 are attached to the outer surfaces of the two right vertical bars 33 via necessary brackets. When a pallet is placed on the article placement surface, the reflector 53 is installed so as to be located slightly outside (on the left side) of the pallet and slightly above the article placement surface. The upper end of the reflector 53 is lower than the upper end of the fall prevention member 35 so that the article does not collide with the reflector 53 during transfer. Further, on the inner surface of the left side frame 4, when the loading platform 30 is at the transfer position, it is possible to project and receive light with respect to the reflector 53.
That is, the light emitting / receiving sensor 54 is attached which is capable of projecting light in the direction of the optical axis toward the reflector 53 (obliquely upper left) and receiving the reflected light. The light emitting / receiving sensor 54 is attached to the side frame 4 by utilizing the T-shaped groove 4a through a necessary bracket. With such a configuration, when the loading platform 30 is at the transfer position,
The light between the light emitting / receiving sensor 54 and the reflector 53 is shielded by the transported object on the article mounting surface of the loading platform 30 to detect the loading.

The front and rear two light-transmitting and receiving sensors 54 and the detection roller 51 are wired and connected to a control device (not shown) in the control box 52 attached to the front left and right connecting bars 22. Then, the control device performs drive control of the chain conveyor 2 (movement control of the loading platform 30) and the like in accordance with the detection results of the above-described load detection and arrival detection. The load detection by the light emitting / receiving sensor 54 is performed by the detection roller 51.
Is performed only when it is detected that the loading platform 30 is in the transfer position.

As described above, in the present embodiment, only the striker 40 and the reflector 53 are provided on the cargo bed 30 side, and the detection roller 51 and the light emitting / receiving sensor 54 mounted on the side frame 4 (ground side) are used. Since the arrival detection and the load detection are performed, the wiring to the moving platform 30 can be eliminated.

Further, the control device in the control box 52 is connected to the control device of the stacker crane 61, and the chain conveyor 2 is provided with a photoelectric sensor having an optical axis 55 traversing the longitudinal direction (front-back direction) thereof. Has been. When the optical axis 55 is shielded, the driving of the chain conveyor 2 and the stacker crane 61 is stopped, so that it is safe even if an operator enters.
Needless to say, the optical axis 55 is not shielded by the connecting bar 22, the control box 52, or the like. Further, since the optical axis 55 is inclined from the front end to the rear end of the chain conveyor 2 in the direction toward the extension of the traveling path of the stacker crane 61, the optical axis A in FIG.
Even if an operator at the point or the point B attempts to enter the traveling passage, it can be reliably detected. That is,
By thus inclining the optical axis 55 according to the surrounding situation, it is possible to efficiently detect the intrusion of the worker with a small number of photoelectric sensors.

[0036]

[Modifications, etc.]

(1) One loading platform 30 does not simply reciprocate between two transfer positions, but three on the chain conveyor 2 in a loop shape.
There may be one or more transfer positions, and a plurality of loading platforms 30 may be transported.

[0037]

The present invention is configured as described above.
The following effects are obtained. According to the first aspect of the invention, with a simple configuration in which the light emitting / receiving sensor is provided on the ground side and the reflector is provided on the luggage carrier side, the loading of the luggage carrier can be reliably detected without complicated wiring. According to the first aspect of the present invention, since the loading platform is not fixed to the chain, it is possible to easily remove the loading platform even when the pallet or the like is directly conveyed by the chain conveyor. According to the second aspect of the present invention, by utilizing the T-shaped groove formed in the side frame, it is possible to easily mount the light emitting and receiving sensor at any position on the side frame without standing upright on the ground. A light emitting and receiving sensor can be attached to. According to the third aspect of the present invention, since the detecting means for detecting the detected portion of the loading platform at the transfer position is provided on the ground side, it is possible to detect that the loading platform is at the transfer position on the ground side. Therefore, the wiring can be performed more easily. According to the third aspect of the present invention, the load detection by the light emitting and receiving sensor is performed only when the detection unit detects the detected portion, that is, the load detection is performed only when the platform is at the transfer position. The efficiency is improved by using the minimum necessary detection result of the light emitting and receiving sensor, and the reliability of the load detection is improved without detecting anything other than the transported object.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic plan view showing a system of the present embodiment.

2 is a plan view showing the article transport system of FIG. 1. FIG.

3 is a side view showing the article transport system of FIG. 2. FIG.

FIG. 4 is a simplified cross-sectional view of a supporting portion of a side frame as seen from the front.

FIG. 5 is an enlarged sectional view taken along line VV of FIG. 2;

FIG. 6 is a simplified front view of the platform as seen from the front.

FIG. 7 is a plan view showing a conveyor unit.

FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram showing arrival detection.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 article transport system 2 chain conveyor 3 conveyor unit 20 chain 30 loading platform 40 striker 51 detection roller 52 control box 53 reflector 54 light emitting and receiving sensor

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A chain conveyor, and a loading platform that is conveyed on the chain conveyor and has an article placement surface and a fork insertion space formed below the article placement surface. The optical axis crosses the article placement surface. In this way, an article conveying system having a light emitting / receiving sensor on the ground side and a reflector on the loading platform side. 2. The T-shaped groove is formed in the side frame of the chain conveyor along the longitudinal direction, and the light emitting and receiving sensor is attached to the side frame by utilizing the T-shaped groove. The article transport system described. 3. A detection means for detecting the detected portion of the loading platform at the transfer position is provided on the ground side, and the load detection by the light emitting and receiving sensor is performed only when the detected portion is detecting the detected portion. The article transport system according to claim 1 or 2, which is performed.