JP6963753B2 - Transfer device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a transfer device that transfers a load from the container to be carried out to the container to be carried in.

In this type of transfer device, both ends of two movable rail members parallel to each other are formed by two fixed rail members in the Y direction orthogonal to the X direction, which is the length direction of the movable rail members. It is supported so that it can move in parallel and laterally, and each of the two movable rail members supports a movable body that can reciprocate in the X direction, and a picking head that can lift a load can be raised and lowered on each movable body. The provided loading / unloading unit is used. In the prior art document cited as Patent Document 1, a processing unit for the work is used instead of the picking head required for the loading / unloading unit, but the picking head for picking the load is replaced. For example, it can be used as a loading / unloading unit for lifting and unloading loads. In this case, a container receiving place for loading and unloading and a container receiving place for loading and unloading are set in the movable area of the picking head in a plan view under the loading / unloading unit.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2003-305672

As described above, it is possible to construct a transfer device for transferring the load lifted by the picking head from the container to be unloaded into the container to be loaded by using the configuration described in Patent Document 1. Even if it can be easily done by a person skilled in the art, it is necessary to manually transfer the load from the container to be loaded into the container to be loaded without using the loading / unloading unit. It is necessary to solve the problems necessary for practical use, such as the configuration for making it safe and easy according to the situation.

The present invention proposes a transfer device capable of solving the above problems, and the transfer device according to the present invention is used in order to make it easier to understand the relationship with the examples described later. When the reference numerals used in the description of the embodiment are shown in parentheses, both ends of two movable rail members (17,18) parallel to each other are the lengths of these movable rail members (17,18). It is supported in parallel and laterally by two fixed rail members (15, 16) in the Y direction orthogonal to the X direction, which is the vertical direction, and is supported by each of the two movable rail members (17, 18). A movable body (19,21) that can reciprocate in the X direction is supported, and each movable body (19,21) is provided with a picking head (23,25) that can lift the load. In the transfer device equipped with the carry-in / carry-out unit (1),
The entire loading / unloading unit (1) is inclined so that one end side of the fixed rail member (15, 16) is lowered with respect to the other end side, and the entire loading / unloading unit (1) is inclined. On the lower side, the container receiving area (7) to be unloaded and the container receiving area (8) to be loaded are arranged in parallel in the X direction within the movable area of the picking head (23, 25) in a plan view. A loading / unloading work space is provided, and the container receiving area (7) to be carried out and the container receiving area (7) to be carried in are the container (Cy) to be carried out and the container (Cy) to be carried in, respectively. The container (Cx) of the A worker's load transfer work area (27) is set on the floor surface on the lower end side of the inclination of the container (Cy, Cx) with respect to 7,8).

In the transfer device of the present invention having the above configuration, if the container to be unloaded is carried into the container receiving place to be carried out, the container to be carried in is carried into the container receiving place to be carried in, and the work is ready. , The loading / unloading unit is operated so that the load to be lifted in the container to be loaded / unloaded is lifted by the picking head. Specifically, the two movable rail members in the Y direction are laterally moved in the Y direction, and the movable body on each movable rail member is moved in the X direction on each movable rail member, so that the picking head provided in each movable base is provided. It is positioned directly above the load to be lifted in the container to be unloaded, and then the picking head is lowered for each movable body so that the load to be lifted can be lifted. Next, the picking head is raised to a predetermined height for each movable body, the load to be lifted is lifted by the picking head, and then the two movable rail members in the Y direction laterally move in the Y direction and on each movable rail member. By moving the movable body in the X direction, the load lifted by the picking head is moved to a predetermined height above the container to be loaded, and then the picking head is lowered for each movable body to lift the load. Is unloaded into the container to be loaded, each picking head is separated from the unloaded load, and then each picking head is raised.

In the transfer device of the present invention that can be used as described above, the transfer operation described above may have to be performed manually for some reason such as a failure of the picking head. In such a case, a worker stands in the cargo transfer work area set on one side in the front and rear of the Y direction with respect to the container receiving area for loading and unloading and the container receiving area for loading in parallel in the X direction. , The load is manually transferred from the container to be unloaded to the container to be loaded in, which is adjacent to the left and right in the X direction when viewed from the worker. At this time, the container receiving area to be unloaded Since the container being carried into the container receiving area to be carried in is tilted so that the side of the loading transfer work area where the worker stands is low, the worker bends his upper body forward and moves inside each container. You do not have to look into it, or even if you look into it, you can reduce the degree of forward bending of your upper body. In other words, the work of identifying and picking up the load to be carried out in the container to be carried out can be easily performed in a comfortable posture.

Also, when the picked-up load is transferred into the container to be loaded, the container to be loaded is also tilted in the same manner as described above, so that not only can the work be performed while checking the storage position in the container. , If the tilt angle of the container is set so that the load placed in this container naturally slides downward, and the load storage position in the container is not specified, the load picked up Simply put the load in an appropriate place on the upper end side of the slope in the container to be loaded and release it, and the load will slide toward the lower end side of the slope in front of the container and be packed in sequence. The loading work can also be done efficiently. This effect is that even when the loading / unloading unit is operated to automatically transfer the load, the loading into the container to be loaded is carried out with respect to the fixed position on the inclined upper end side in the container. If this is done, each load slides toward the lower end of the inclination of the container and is sequentially packed, so that it becomes easy to control the loading process of the load into the container to be loaded.

In order to obtain the above effect, the container receiving area to be unloaded and the container being carried into the container receiving area to be loaded are configured to be inclined so that the loading transfer work area side where the worker stands is lowered. However, if the loading / unloading unit is erected horizontally as before, the distance between the picking head on the horizontal plane and the bottom surface of the container will be significantly different between the inclined upper end side and the inclined lower end side of the container. Therefore, in order to safely and reliably lift and unload the load by the picking head, even if the height of the load to be handled is constant, the lifting stroke of the picking head depends on the position of action of the picking head with respect to the inside of the container. It has to be controlled to change, which is a big disadvantage. However, according to the configuration of the present invention, since the entire loading / unloading unit itself is tilted in the same manner as the container, the picking head elevating control is performed in the same manner as when the conventional loading / unloading unit is horizontal. Therefore, there is no risk of having the above-mentioned disadvantages.

When the present invention is carried out, the standby areas of the two movable rail members (17, 18) are set above both outer sides in the Y direction with respect to the load transfer work space (9), and the standby areas are set. Of the two movable rail members (17,18), one of the waiting areas on the side closer to the worker's load transfer work area (27) is the inclined lower end side of the load / unloading / loading unit (1). A narrow standby area (Sa1) in which only one movable rail member (17) can stand by, and the other standby area on the opposite side has two movable rail members (17, 18) adjacent to each other in the Y direction. It is desirable to have a wide standby area (Sa2) that can be made to stand by.

According to the above configuration, when the loading / unloading unit is operated to perform the above loading / unloading work, two movable rail members in the Y direction are arranged in parallel in the X direction as a container receiving place to be loaded / unloaded as a preparatory step. It is possible to divide the waiting area on both sides in the Y direction, that is, the narrow waiting area and the wide waiting area, from the container receiving area to be loaded. At this time, it is desirable that the movable body on each movable rail member be moved to a position adjacent to both sides in the Y direction of the container receiving place to be unloaded, which is the target for starting work. By making the two movable rail members stand by in this way, the picking head of the movable body provided by each movable rail member can be moved to the front and rear in the Y direction of the container to be unloaded, which has been carried into the container receiving area to be unloaded. Of the loads to be lifted in the container, the load on the front side in the Y direction is lifted by the picking head waiting on the front side in the Y direction of the container to be unloaded, and is lifted on the opposite side, that is, in the Y direction. The load on the back side of the can be lifted by a picking head that stands by on the back side in the Y direction of the container to be unloaded. Of course, various situations can be considered, such as when the load to be lifted in the container is biased to either the front or back in the Y direction or the left or right in the X direction of the container, but as a whole, two movable rail members in the Y direction are loaded. Compared with the case where the container to be carried out is made to stand by on either side in the front or rear of the Y direction, the picking head can lift the load more efficiently.

On the other hand, when the load transfer work must be performed manually as described above, the wide standby area in which the two movable rail members can stand by adjacent to each other in the Y direction is the load transfer. Since it is provided on the side (back side) opposite to the side where the load transfer work area is located with respect to the loading work space, both of the two movable rail members should be made to stand by in this wide standby area. Can be done. Therefore, one of the two movable rail members is located between the worker standing in the load transfer work area and the two containers arranged in parallel in the X direction, and does not interfere with the manual transfer work. Moreover, the movable rail member that has been waiting to move to the back side does not cover the back side of the two containers parallel to each other in the X direction and does not interfere with the manual transfer work. That is, the manual load transfer work can be performed safely and easily. Of course, the length of the entire moving region of the two movable rail members in the Y direction in the Y direction can be suppressed to the minimum necessary, and the entire transfer device can be prevented from becoming large.

When the present invention is carried out, the movable body provided with the picking head so as to be able to move up and down can be provided one by one for each of the two movable rail members (17, 18). Two movable bodies (19, 20 and 21, 22) are provided on each of the two movable rail members (17, 18), and the two movable bodies provided on each movable rail member (17, 18) are provided. (19,20 and 21,22) are located between both ends of each movable rail member (17,18) so that they can be positioned adjacent to each other on either side of both ends of the movable rail member (17,18). It can be provided so that it can move back and forth. According to this configuration, a total of four picking heads can be made to correspond to the entire area in the container carried into the container receiving place in a state of being adjacent to each other in both XY directions. Therefore, if the load to be transferred is a small-sized load that can be lifted and lowered by one picking head, four loads can be picked at the same time in the X or Y direction regardless of the position of each load. If it is a medium-sized load that can be lifted and lowered by the head, two loads can be lifted and lowered at the same time, and if it is a large-sized load that must be lifted and lowered by four picking heads, one load can be freely lifted and lowered. Moreover, it can be handled efficiently.

The transfer device of the present invention can be configured to manually carry in and out the container to the container receiving place to be carried out and the container receiving place to be carried in, or both container receiving places. On the other hand, it is possible to provide one conveyor for loading and unloading each container, but it is desirable to carry out as follows. That is, the conveyor (10) for loading and unloading the container (Cy) to the container receiving area (7) to be loaded and unloaded, and the container (Cx) to be loaded and unloaded to the container receiving area (8) to be loaded and unloaded. Conveyors (11) are provided, and each of these conveyors (10, 11) has two upper and lower layers of a carry-in conveyor unit (12), a carry-out conveyor unit (13), and an elevating transfer means (14A, 14B), and these elevating transfer means (14A, 14B) are container-supported and transported along the elevating path between the two conveyor units (12,13) via the container receiving area (7,8). When a body (14a, 14b) is provided and the container-supporting conveyor (14a, 14b) is located at least at both container receiving sites (7,8), the container-supporting conveyor (14a, 14b) is located. It can be tilted so that the supported container (Cy, Cx) is tilted in a direction parallel to the loading / unloading unit (1). According to this configuration, the carry-in conveyor unit and the carry-out conveyor unit are provided in two upper and lower layers, while adopting a general one that transports the container in a horizontal posture. As long as this is the case, it is possible to automatically incline the containers carried into the container receiving area to be unloaded and the container receiving area to be loaded by using the container-supported conveyor of the elevating transfer means, which is naturally necessary. It can be done, and no special means for tilting the container at both container receiving areas is required.

When performing automatic transfer work or manual transfer work by the transfer device according to the present invention described above, each container is not in a state where the load suspended by the picking head or manually is completely separated from the inside of the container. It is not possible to safely carry out the loading / unloading work of the container to be loaded / unloaded or the container to be loaded / unloaded to the receiving place. Therefore, an obstacle detecting means (31) for detecting an obstacle existing above the container (Cy, Cx) carried into the container receiving place (7) to be carried out and the container receiving place (8) to be carried in. ) Is desirable. According to this configuration, the loading / unloading work of the container in the situation where there is a load or a man who enters the obstacle detection area of the obstacle detection means is automatically performed based on the obstacle detection signal of the obstacle detection means. It can be avoided and safety is improved. When implementing this configuration, obstacles existing above the two containers (Cy, Cx) being carried into the two container receiving areas (7, 8) parallel in the X direction are monitored from the X direction. If the detection means (31) is used, it is possible to ensure the safety at the time of loading and unloading the container for both the container receiving place to be carried out and the container receiving place to be carried in by one obstacle detecting means. ..

Of course, the obstacle detecting means includes an obstacle detecting means (33A) for detecting an obstacle existing above the container (Cy) carried into the container receiving place (7) to be carried out, and an obstacle detecting means (33A) to be carried in. It can also be divided into two parts, an obstacle detecting means (33B) for detecting an obstacle existing above the container (Cx) carried into the container receiving place (8). According to this configuration, even if the container loading / unloading times for both container receiving areas are different, obstacles can be reliably detected when the containers are loaded / unloaded for each container receiving area. Compared to the case where the loading and unloading times must be the same, safety can be ensured while improving work efficiency.

As described above, the conveyors (10, 11) that carry in and out the container (Cy, Cx) to the container receiving area (7) to be loaded and unloaded and the container receiving area (8) to be loaded and unloaded are moved up and down, respectively. In the configuration provided with the means (14A, 14B), when the obstacle detecting means (33A) and the obstacle detecting means (33B) for the container receiving place (8) to be loaded are provided, 2 Each of the obstacle detecting means (33A, 33B) is composed of a light receiving receiver (38a) and a light reflecting plate (38b), and the light reflecting plate (38b) is the elevating transfer means (14A, 14B). ) Attached to each container support carrier (14a, 14b), the light receiving receiver (38a) has a container (Cy, Cx) supported by each container support carrier (14a, 14b) as the container receiving portion. When it is located at (7,8), it can be provided at a fixed position corresponding to the light reflector (38b). According to this configuration, it is not necessary to attach a device such as a floodlight or a receiver that requires energization to each container support carrier that is a moving body, so that it is not only easy to carry out, but also for obstacle detection. The effect of shortening the length of the ray film can also be obtained.

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 of the same as above. FIG. 3 is a plan view when the transfer device is in a situation where the transfer device is manually transferred. FIG. 4 is a plan view illustrating the movement range of the picking head in the X direction in the transfer device of the same as above. FIG. 5 is a plan view illustrating a moving range of the picking head in the Y direction in the transfer device. 6A to 6D are schematic plan views illustrating each step in the transfer operation when each of the four picking heads in the transfer device handles one small size load. 7A to 7D are schematic plan views illustrating each step in the transfer operation when the 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 modified example of the embodiment of FIG. FIG. 11 is a side view of a main part showing another embodiment of the safety measure.

As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the loading / unloading unit 1 included in the transfer device of the present invention according to the illustrated embodiment is installed on the gantry 2 via an auxiliary gantry 2a. The gantry 2 includes a pair of side frames 5a and 5b in the X direction (left and right direction) formed by a pair of columns 3a and 3b in the Y direction (front and rear direction) and connecting members 4a and 4b in the Y direction, and the side frames 5a and 5b. Is composed of X-direction connecting members 5c, 5d, etc., which are connected and integrated at a position where they do not interfere with the container to be handled or the operator who performs the manual work. The auxiliary pedestal 2a supports the loading / unloading unit 1 by inclining it as shown in FIG.

The gantry 2 is installed so that the container receiving place 7 to be carried out and the container receiving place 8 to be carried in straddle the cargo transfer work space 9 adjacent to each other in the X direction, and the container receiving place 7 to be carried out is provided. Is connected to the carry-in / carry-out conveyor 10 of the container Cy to be carried in and out, and the carry-in / carry-out conveyor 11 of the container Cx to be carried in is connected to the container receiving area 8 to be carried in. Each of the carry-in / carry-out conveyors 10 and 11 has the same structure as each other and is installed so as to extend in the Y direction to the rear side of the load transfer work space 9 in the Y direction in a state of being parallel to each other. It is composed of a lower carry-in conveyor unit 12, an upper carry-out conveyor unit 13, and an elevating / moving transfer means 14A / 14B.

The elevating transfer means 14A / 14B has the same structure, and the rotation shaft 14c is located between a pair of arms 14d in the Y direction that are rotationally driven around a rotation shaft 14c parallel to the Y direction. It is provided with three container-supporting transport bodies 14a and 14b rotatably supported by a rotating shaft 14e parallel to the above. When these three container-supporting conveyors 14a / 14b are rotationally driven around the rotating shaft 14c, they are also rotationally driven around the rotating shaft 14e around the rotating shaft 14e in the direction opposite to that of the rotating shaft 14c. , The side opposite to the side of the carry-in / carry-out conveyor units 12 and 13 is always lowered so as to maintain an inclined posture at a certain angle. Further, the three container support carriers 14a / 14b are composed of a pair of support units 14f and 14g in the Y direction that separately support both sides of one container Cy / Cx in the X direction.

At the end of the carry-in conveyor unit 12 and the carry-out conveyor unit 13 on the elevating and moving means 14A / 14B side, the container receiving inclined conveyor 12a is inclined downward at the same angle as the container supporting conveyor 14a / 14b. And the inclined conveyor 13a for feeding out the container are continuously provided. These two inclined conveyors 12a and 13a have a width capable of relatively moving up and down between the pair of support units 14f and 14g in the Y direction in the container support conveyor 14a / 14b, and are empty container support conveyors 14a / 14b. Is stopped at a slightly lower level than the container receiving inclined conveyor 12a, and the container Cy / Cx is carried out from the carrying-in conveyor unit 12 onto the container receiving inclined conveyor 12a, whereby the container Cy / Cx is carried out. / Cx is fed into the container support conveyor 14a / 14b. When the container support conveyor 14a / 14b supporting the container Cy / Cx to be carried out is stopped at a slightly lower level than the container delivery inclined conveyor 13a, the container support conveyor 14a Since the container Cy / Cx supported by / 14b is supported by the container feeding inclined conveyor 13a, the container can be operated by operating the container sending inclined conveyor 13a and the unloading conveyor unit 13 in such a state. The container Cy / Cx supported by the support transporters 14a / 14b will be carried out onto the carry-out conveyor unit 13.

The elevating transfer means 14A / 14B having the above configuration supports the container Cy / Cx in the parallel rotation path of the three container support carriers 14a / 14b, and the container receiving space 7/8 in the load transfer work space 9. Since a total of three stop positions, that is, the stop position to be positioned at the position and the stop position for each of the inclined conveyors 12a and 13a, are set at intervals of 120 degrees, by rotating the rotating shaft 14c at intervals of 120 degrees, the rotation shaft 14c can be rotated at intervals of 120 degrees. The container Cy / Cx in the inclined posture sent out from the carry-in conveyor unit 12 is received and sent to the container receiving place 7/8 in the load transfer work space 9 in the inclined posture, and in the load transfer work space 9. The load can be lifted and lowered with respect to the inclined container Cy / Cx, and the container Cy / Cx for which the work has been completed can be sent to the carry-out conveyor unit 13 in the inclined posture.

In addition, although the means for loading and unloading the containers Cy and Cx with respect to the container receiving place 7 to be carried out and the container receiving place 8 to be carried in is briefly explained, the container receiving place 7 to be carried out and the loading / unloading are briefly described. The means for loading and unloading the containers Cy and Cx to the target container receiving area 8 may have any configuration. In some cases, it is also possible to manually carry in and out the containers Cy and Cx to the container receiving place 7 to be carried out and the container receiving place 8 to be carried in.

The loading / unloading unit 1 is attached to a pair of fixed rail members 15 and 16 in the X direction parallel to the Y direction, a pair of movable rail members 17 and 18 in the Y direction parallel to the X direction, and each of these movable rail members 17 and 18. It is composed of a pair of movable bodies 19 and 20 and 21 and 22 in the X direction supported, and picking heads 23 to 26 supported so as to be able to move up and down in the Z direction to each of the four movable bodies 19 to 22 in total. More specifically, on the upper side of the pair of fixed rail members 15 and 16 in the X direction, two movable supports 15a, 15b and 16a, 16b in the Y direction reciprocate between both ends of the fixed rail members 15 and 16 in the Y direction, respectively. It is supported so that it can be moved. Both ends of the pair of movable rail members 17 and 18 in the Y direction in the X direction are fixedly supported on the movable support bases 15a and 15b and 16a and 16b. Further, the movable bodies 19, 20 and 21 and 22 are supported on the side portions of the movable rail members 17 and 18 facing each other so as to be reciprocally movable in the X direction between both ends of the movable rail members 17 and 18 in the X direction. Has been done. The elevating rail members 19a to 22a parallel to the Z direction (vertical vertical direction) are fixed to the movable bodies 19 to 22 near the lower ends, and the elevating rail members 19a to 22a are fixed to the elevating rail members 19a to 22a in the Z direction. Elevating support bases 19b to 22b that are vertically supported between both ends are provided, and each of these elevating support bases 19b to 22b is provided with the picking heads 23 to 26 at the lower ends and is parallel to the Z direction. The upper end of 26a is fixedly supported. The picking heads 23 to 26 are for a load that can be attracted to the upper surface of the load by negative pressure, a load in which a magnetic plate is attached to the upper surface of the load, or a box-type load formed from the magnetic plate. As a result, a type that magnetically attracts by energization can be used. Of course, it is also possible to use a picking head provided with a gripping tool capable of gripping and releasing the gripped portion by providing a gripped portion on the upper surface of the load.

In the loading / unloading unit 1 configured as described above, as shown in FIG. 1, the fixed rail members 15 and 16 parallel to the Y direction are moved up / down and transferred into the loading / unloading work space 9 in a side view. , 14B, installed on the auxiliary pedestal 2a on the gantry 2 in a state of being inclined with respect to the Y direction so as to be inclined at an angle equal to the inclination angle of the containers Cy / Cx sent by the container support carriers 14a and 14b. There is. The auxiliary pedestal 2a is a pair of X-direction connecting members 6b that connect four inclined columns 6a that support both ends of the fixed rail members 15 and 16 in the length direction and a pair of inclined columns 6a in the front-rear direction in the Y direction. It is composed of an X-direction connecting member 6c that connects the upper ends of a pair of inclined columns 6a in the X direction that support the inclined upper ends of the fixed rail members 15 and 16.

As shown in FIG. 3 and the like, the elevating support bases 19b to 22b (elevating rods 23a to 26a) are the elevating rail members 19a, 20a / 21a, 22a supported by the same movable rail member 17/18 in the X direction. It is located on the side facing the. Further, as shown in FIG. 4, the two movable bodies 19 and 20 in the X direction supported by the movable rail member 17 and the two movable bodies 21 and 22 in the X direction supported by the movable rail member 18 are movable. The rail members 17/18 are adjacent to the elevating supports 19b, 20b / 21b, 22b (elevating rods 23a, 24a / 25a, 26a) in the X direction at both ends in the X direction so that the movement stroke ends, respectively. It can reciprocate along the movable rail member 17/18 within the movement range Wx in the X direction.

As shown in FIG. 4, a narrow standby area Sa1 having a standby position Sp1 for waiting only the movable rail member 17 is provided on the front side of the load transfer work space 9 in the Y direction in a plan view, and FIG. As shown, two movable rail members 17 and 18 can stand by in a state of being adjacent to each other in the Y direction on the rear side of the load transfer work space 9 in the Y direction in a plan view. , Sp3 is provided in a wide standby area Sa2. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 5, the movable rail member 17 is located between the standby position Sp1 in the narrow standby area Sa1 and the standby position Sp2 on the side adjacent to the load transfer work space 9 in the wide standby area Sa2. The movable rail member 18 can reciprocate in the Y direction within the Y-direction movement range Wy, and the movable rail member 18 is relative to the movable rail member 17 located at the standby position Sp1 in the narrow standby area Sa1 as shown in FIG. It is possible to reciprocate in the Y direction within the Y direction movement range Wy between the stroke limit position p4 adjacent to the rear side in the Y direction and the standby position Sp3 on the side away from the load transfer work space 9 in the wide standby area Sa2. Is.

A driving means for reciprocating the movable support bases 15a, 15b and 16a, 16b with respect to the fixed rail members 15 and 16, and moving bodies 19, 20 and 21 and 22 with respect to the movable rail members 17 and 18 in the X direction. Although no specific structure is shown for the drive means for reciprocating the elevating support and the elevating support bases 19b to 22b with respect to the elevating rail members 19a to 22a, conventionally known drive means are used. You can. For example, the driving means for reciprocating the movable supports 15a, 15b and 16a, 16b and the movable bodies 19, 20 and 21 and 22 extends to substantially the entire length of the fixed rail members 15 and 16 (movable rail members 17 and 18). A fixed screw shaft of length is erected in parallel with the Y direction (X direction), and each of the movable supports 15a, 15b and 16a, 16b (movable bodies 19, 20 and 21, 22) is attached to the fixed screw shaft. A female screw body to be screwed is supported only by rotation, and a motor for driving the female screw body in forward and reverse rotation is mounted, and the female screw bodies provided in each of the movable support bases 15a to 16b (movable bodies 19 to 22) are provided. The picking heads 23 to 26 can be freely moved within the X-direction movement range Wx and the Y-direction movement range Wy together with the elevating support bases 19b to 22b (elevating rods 23a to 26a) by being driven by the motors in the forward and reverse rotations, respectively. Can be made to.

Further, as a driving means for driving the elevating support bases 19b to 22b up and down with respect to the elevating rail members 19a to 22a, one elevating support base 19b to 22b is driven up and down with respect to the elevating rail members 19a to 22a. Therefore, for example, a rotatable screw shaft having a length substantially the entire length thereof is supported in each of the elevating rail members 19a to 22a along the Z direction, and for example, the upper ends of the elevating rail members 19a to 22a are supported. A motor for driving the screw shaft in forward and reverse rotation is attached to each of the elevating support bases 19b to 22b, and a fixed female screw body screwed into the screw shaft can be attached to each of the elevating supports 19b to 22b. According to this configuration, the lifting supports 19b to 22b can be freely moved up and down by driving the screw shaft to rotate in the forward and reverse directions by the motor.

Further, as shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, a load is placed on the floor surface side of the load transfer work space 9 on the front side in the Y direction, in other words, on the floor surface side below the inclined lower end portion of the load loading / unloading unit 1. A load transfer work area 27 for workers having a width capable of covering the entire width of the transfer work space 9 in the X direction is provided. Further, above the load transfer work space 9, a constant height above the container receiving area 7 to be loaded and a constant height above the container receiving area 8 to be loaded in, and a container receiving area 7 to be loaded out. An image pickup device (camera) 28 that reads the position information of the load inside the container Cy to be carried out from the image, and loading inside the container Cx to be carried in located at the container receiving place 8 to be carried in. An image pickup device (camera) 29 that reads an area or the like that can be placed from an image is arranged. These image pickup devices 28 and 29 are attached to the upper end horizontal portion of the portal frame 30 in which the legs on both sides in the Y direction are supported by the pair of Y direction connecting members 2c in the X direction of the auxiliary frame 2a.

Hereinafter, how to use the transfer device configured as described above will be described. This transfer device can perform automatic operation for operating the load / unload unit 1 and manual operation without using the load / unload unit 1. It is a thing. In either case, the container Cy to be loaded and unloaded is sent to the container receiving area 7 to be loaded and unloaded in an inclined posture by the loading conveyor unit 12 of the loading and unloading conveyor 10 and the container support carrier 14a of the elevating and transferring means 14A. .. Further, the container Cx to be loaded is fed to the container receiving area 8 to be loaded in an inclined posture by the loading conveyor unit 12 of the loading / unloading conveyor 11 and the container support carrier 14b of the elevating / moving transfer means 14B. Therefore, in the case of automatic operation, as shown by the solid line in FIG. 4, the four picking heads 23 to 26 of the loading / unloading unit 1 are the container Cy of the loading / unloading target sent to the container receiving area 7 to be loaded / unloaded. It stands by at a position adjacent to the outside of the four corners in the plan view of the above and at the ascending limit height. That is, the movable rail member 17 is located at the standby position Sp1 in the narrow standby area Sa1, and the movable rail member 18 is located at the standby position Sp2 in the wide standby area Sa2, and the movable rail members 17 and 18 are movable. The bodies 19, 20 and 21 and 22 are located adjacent to the outside of the four corners in the plan view of the container Cy to be unloaded, which has been carried into the container receiving area 7 to be unloaded, and the elevating rods 23a to 26a provided therein. Stands by at the ascending limit height of the elevating rail members 19a to 22a.

As shown in FIG. 6A, for example, it is assumed that a plurality of small-sized cargo Bs are stored in the container Cy to be carried in to the container receiving place 7 to be carried in, and the container receiving place to be carried in. When four small-sized cargo Bs must be transferred to the container Cx to be loaded into the container Cx to be loaded into 8, as shown in FIG. 6A, the outer four corners of the container Cy to be loaded and the ascending limit position As shown in FIG. 6B, the four picking heads 23 to 26 waiting at the above are moved in the Y direction of the movable rail members 17 and 18, and the movable bodies 19, 20 and 21 on the movable rail members 17 and 18 are moved. , 22 are combined to move in the X direction to move to a position directly above the four small-sized loads Bs to be carried out, and then the elevating support bases 19b to 22b (elevating rod 23a) with respect to the elevating rail members 19a to 22a. ~ 26a) is lowered so that the four picking heads 23 to 26 are brought into contact with and attracted to the upper surfaces of the four small size loads Bs to be carried out. Of course, it is assumed that the picking heads 23 to 26 are of the negative pressure suction type or the magnetic suction type, but a gripped portion is provided on the upper part of the load to be handled, and the picking heads 23 to 26 are the gripped portion. If it is a gripping type equipped with a gripping tool for gripping the above, the gripping tools of the picking heads 23 to 26 will grip the gripped portion on the upper part of the four small-sized loads Bs to be carried out. The above operation can be automatically performed based on the image acquired by the image pickup device 28 located directly above the container receiving place 7 to be unloaded.

When the picking heads 23 to 26 are in a state where the four small size loads Bs to be carried out at predetermined positions in the container Cy to be carried out can be lifted, the picking heads 23 to 26 can be lifted from the small size loads to be carried out. Lift up to the ascending limit height with Bs. Specifically, the elevating support bases 19b to 22b (elevating rods 23a to 26a) are raised to the ascending limit height with respect to the elevating rail members 19a to 22a. After that, the lifted small-sized cargo Bs is transferred to a predetermined position (for example, the position shown in FIG. 6B) in the container Cx to be loaded, which is being carried into the container receiving place 8 to be loaded. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 6C, the movement of the movable rail members 17 and 18 in the Y direction and the movement of the movable bodies 19, 20 and 21 and 22 on the movable rail members 17 and 18 in the X direction are performed. In combination, the lifted small-sized load Bs is moved to just above a predetermined position in the container Cx to be loaded, and then the lifting rods 23a to 26a are lowered with respect to the lifting rail members 19a to 22a for picking. Each small-sized load Bs lifted by the heads 23 to 26 can be lowered to a predetermined position in the container Cx to be loaded (see FIG. 6D). The image acquired by the imaging device 29 located directly above the container receiving area 8 to be loaded, such as the selection of the unloading place of the small-sized load Bs into the container Cx to be loaded and the confirmation that the unloading has been completed, etc. It can be done automatically based on.

If the entire small-sized load Bs lifted from the container Cy to be unloaded moves upward from the container Cy to be unloaded, then the container Cy to be unloaded is moved to the container receiving area to be unloaded at that time. It can be carried out from 7. Specifically, after lowering the container support transport body 14a of the elevating transfer means 14A supporting the container Cy to be unloaded and connecting it to the carry-out conveyor unit 13, the container support transport body 14a is carried out. The container Cy to be unloaded is to be unloaded onto the conveyor unit 13. As a result, the work of loading the next container Cy to be unloaded into the container receiving area 7 to be unloaded can be started immediately without waiting for the completion of the transfer of the small-sized cargo Bs to the container Cx to be loaded. ..

On the other hand, when the transfer of the small-sized load Bs into the container Cx to be loaded is completed as described above, after raising all the picking heads 23 to 26 to the ascending limit height, the standby position shown in FIG. 6A is shown. Return to. In this case as well, if the lifting rods 23a to 26a and the picking heads 23 to 26 that rise from the container Cx to be loaded move upward from the container Cx to be loaded, the container to be loaded at that time. Cx can be carried out from the container receiving place 8 to be carried in. Specifically, after lowering the container support transport body 14b of the elevating transfer means 14B that supports the container Cx to be loaded and connecting it to the carry-out conveyor unit 13, the container support transport body 14b is carried out. The container Cx to be loaded is to be carried out onto the conveyor unit 13. As a result, the work of loading the next container Cx to be loaded into the container receiving area 8 to be loaded can be started immediately without waiting for the picking heads 23 to 26 to return to the standby position shown in FIG. 6A. ..

In the above-mentioned transfer work of the small size load Bs, it was explained that all the picking heads 23 to 26 transfer the four small size load Bs at the same time, but this is because each of the picking heads 23 to 26 has a small size. This is because the load Bs can be lifted and lowered and four small size loads Bs can be transferred at the same time, and the small size loads Bs are within the range of 1 to 4 in one transfer operation. You can perform the transfer work at. If the number of small-sized load Bs to be transferred is three or less, one to three picking heads among the picking heads 23 to 26 will not be used, but among the movable bodies 19 to 22, To prevent a movable body having a picking head that will not be used from interfering with the movement of other picking heads in the XY directions, for example, among the picking heads 23 to 26 having the standby position shown in FIG. 6A, the load is loaded. It can be selected to be used from the picking head located near the container Cx to be carried in at the container receiving place 8 to be carried in.

Of course, the size of the load to be handled is a vertically long medium size load that is 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 among the picking heads 23 to 26. , Two picking heads 23, 24/25, 26 that can be adjacent in the X direction, one or two horizontally long medium-sized loads that can be lifted by the X direction, using two picking heads Can also be handled. Furthermore, it is possible to handle a large-sized load that must be lifted by all four picking heads 23 to 26. 7A to 7D describe a situation when one large size load Bb is transferred by all four picking heads 23 to 26. The procedure is basically the same as the transfer work of the small size load Bs described based on FIG. 6, and the difference is always that all four picking heads 23 to 26 lift one large size load Bb and X-. This is the point where transportation and unloading in the Y direction are performed. In this case, it is desirable that the four picking heads 23 to 26 are positioned so as to lift the positions near the four corners of the upper surface of one large-sized load Bb.

By operating the loading / unloading unit 1 as described above, loads of various sizes in the container Cy to be loaded into the container receiving area 7 to be loaded are carried into the container receiving area 8 to be loaded. It is possible to transfer it to the container Cx to be loaded.
As described above, the entire loading / unloading / loading / unloading unit 1 is inclined at a constant angle with respect to the Y direction, and the container support carriers 14a and 14b of the lifting / moving transfer means 14A and 14B are provided in the container receiving areas 7 and 8. The containers Cy and Cx carried in by the above are also tilted at the same tilt angle as the tilt angle of the loading / unloading unit 1 in the Y direction, and the movable bodies 19, 20 and 21 and 22 are also tilted at the above constant angle X. Moving on the −Y two-dimensional plane, the picking heads 23 to 26 also move up and down in the Z direction perpendicular to the XY two-dimensional plane inclined at a constant angle. In other words, the picking heads 23 to 26 move on the XY two-dimensional plane inclined parallel to the inclined bottom surface of the containers Cy and Cx, and Z inclined perpendicularly to the inclined bottom surface of the containers Cy and Cx. Since it can be raised and lowered in the direction, the action of lifting the load from the container Cy to be unloaded at the container receiving area 7 and unloading the lifted load into the container Cx to be loaded at the container receiving area 8 can be performed. It can be performed in the same way as when the entire loading / unloading unit 1 and the containers Cy and Cx are horizontal.

For example, when the picking heads 23 to 26 fail or when it becomes necessary to manually perform the above work for some reason, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, the two movable rail members 17 and 18 in the Y direction are widened. Move into the standby area Sa2. That is, the movable rail member 18 is moved to the rear side in the Y direction to the limit position and stopped at the standby position Sp3, and the movable rail member 17 is moved to the rear side in the Y direction to a position adjacent to the movable rail member 18. And stop at the standby position Sp2. The two movable rail members 17 and 18 are made to stand by in the wide standby area Sa2 in a state of being adjacent to each other in the Y direction at each stage when a series of transfer operations using the loading / unloading unit 1 are completed. Is also good.

When the preparation for the above manual work is completed, the upper part of the load transfer work space 9 and the front side in the Y direction are released, and the worker stands on the floor surface of the load transfer work area 27, and the movable rail member 17, Inside the container Cy carried into the container receiving area 7 to be unloaded without being disturbed by 18 and the lifting rail members 19a to 22a, the lifting rods 23a to 26a, and the picking heads 23 to 26 supported by these. Loads of various sizes can be manually transferred into the container Cx carried into the container receiving area 8 to be carried in. Even when the load transfer work is performed manually, the work content can be managed based on the images acquired by the image pickup devices 28 and 29.

In the above embodiment, the container Cy to be carried out and the container Cx to be carried in are passed between the carry-in conveyor unit 12 and the carry-out conveyor unit 13 of the carry-in / carry-out conveyor 11 via the container receiving areas 7 and 8, respectively. As the elevating and transferring means 14A and 14B for elevating and transferring, the container support conveyors 14a and 14b capable of supporting the containers Cy and Cx in an inclined posture at a constant angle on a vertical rotation path are rotationally moved in parallel. A means for transferring the containers Cy and Cx from the end of the carry-in conveyor unit 12 to the start end of the carry-out conveyor unit 13 via the container receiving areas 7 and 8 though the one is configured so as to be able to do so. May have any configuration. For example, the container-supported transport bodies 14a and 14b of the embodiments shown in FIGS. 8 to 10 are parallel between the ascending limit position and the descending limit position connected to the upper and lower two-layer loading conveyor unit 12 and the unloading conveyor unit 13. It can be raised and lowered, and like the container-supported transport bodies 14a and 14b in the previous embodiment, it is tilted at a certain angle in the Y direction so as to be parallel to the loading / unloading / loading unit 1 which is tilted as a whole. On the support transport bodies 14a and 14b, an operation of pulling the container Cy / Cx sent out from the carry-in conveyor unit 12 to a fixed position on the container support transport bodies 14a and 14b and a container Cy / Cx at the fixed position are performed. It is provided with a pull-in / delivery means (a conveyor whose rotation direction can be switched, a reciprocating moving body for pushing / pulling a container, etc.) that can selectively perform an operation of feeding onto the carry-out conveyor unit 13. The container support carriers 14a and 14b stop at each container receiving place 7/8 located in the middle of the parallel ascending / descending path, so that the supporting container Cy / Cx is carried into each container receiving place 7/8. Can be done. The lifting / moving transfer means 14A and 14B provided on both conveyors 10 and 11 are for carrying in / out of containers Cy / Cx to both container receiving areas 7 and 8 at the same time. Integrates the container support conveyors 14a and 14b provided for each, and has one container support having a width substantially equal to the width in the X direction of the entire container receiving areas 7 and 8 (load transfer work space 9). It can also be a carrier.

When the container support transport bodies 14a and 14b execute the loading and unloading strokes of the containers Cy and Cx for the load transfer work space 9 as described above, the containers Cy and Cx supported by the container support transport bodies 14a and 14b It is extremely dangerous if there is a manual load during lifting or unloading on the upper side of the container, and even during automatic work by the loading / unloading unit 1, the container Cy and Cx loading / unloading process. If the elevating rods 23a to 26a having the picking heads 23 to 26 at the lower ends enter the upper side of the containers Cy and Cx when the above is executed, a failure accompanied by damage to the equipment will be induced. It is necessary to take safety measures to prevent such a situation from occurring, and an example of this safety measure will be described below.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the container Cy to be carried out to the container receiving place 7 to be carried out in the loading work space 9 and the container receiving place 8 to be carried in are carried in. An obstacle detecting means 31 for generating a planar obstacle detecting light film 31a that crosses the upper side of the container Cx to be loaded in the X direction from the outside of one end to the outside of the other end of the loading work space 9 is provided. Can be done. The obstacle detecting means 31 is attached so that the planar obstacle detecting light film 31a to be generated is inclined in parallel with the containers Cy and Cx inclined in the Y direction in the side view from the X direction. ing. Thus, the obstacle detecting means 31 is a light beam composed of a floodlight 32a arranged outside one end in the Y direction of the load transfer work space 9 and a light receiver 32b arranged outside the other end in the Y direction of the load transfer work space 9. A transmissive type can be used, but a reflective type may be used in which the light projector 32a is used as a light emitting and receiving device and a light reflecting plate is used instead of the light receiving device 32b. The floodlight (projector / receiver) 32a and the receiver 32b (light reflector) can be attached to the side frames 5a and 5b on both sides in the X direction constituting the gantry 2. The obstacle detecting means 31 may be operated for a certain period of time immediately before the raising / lowering transfer means 14A and 14B are operated. Therefore, if there is a human or the like that intersects the obstacle detecting light film 31a while the obstacle detecting means 31 is operating, the obstacle detecting means 31 outputs an obstacle detecting signal, so that the obstacle is detected. Based on the detection signal, the operation of the elevating transfer means 14A and 14B can be urgently stopped, and an alarm or a lamp for notifying the urgent stop can be activated.

Further, as shown in FIG. 8, the container in which the obstacle detection light film 33a is carried into the container receiving place 7 to be carried out and the container receiving place 8 to be carried in in the loading work space 9. It is also possible to use the obstacle detecting means 33 that forms the upper side of Cy and Cx in a direction that crosses the front-back Y direction. In this case, the floodlight (or light-emitting receiver) 34a and the receiver (or light-reflecting plate) 34b are located between the pair of columns 3a in the X direction on the front side in the Y direction of the side frames 5a and 5b constituting the gantry 2 and the columns on the rear side. It can be distributed and attached to the support frames 35a and 35b erected between 3b and parallel to the X direction. In the figure, the receiver (or light reflector) 34b is arranged on the front side in the Y direction of the load transfer work space 9, but it may be arranged upside down. However, the support frame 35a on the front side and the obstacle detection device (receiver (or light reflector) 34b or floodlight (or light emitter) 34a) attached to the support frame 35a do not enter the manual work space of the operator. It is necessary to attach it to the wall.

When the obstacle detection means 33 shown in FIG. 8 is used, as shown in FIG. 9, an obstacle detection that monitors the upper side of the container Cy to be unloaded carried into the container receiving place 7 to be unloaded is monitored. The means 33A and the obstacle detecting means 33B for monitoring the upper side of the container Cx to be carried in to the container receiving place 8 to be carried in can be separately installed. In this case, if the carry-in / carry-out conveyor 10 including the up-and-down transfer means 14A and 14B and the carry-in / carry-out conveyor 11 are configured to be operated separately, the carry-in side up / down transfer means 14A and carry-out are carried out. While operating the up / down transfer means 14B on the side separately at an arbitrary timing, the obstacle detection means 33A and the obstacle detection means 33B are operated at the time of each operation, and the load is carried out by the respective obstacle detection light films 33a and 33b. Obstacles on the target container Cy side and obstacles on the target container Cx side can be detected separately to ensure safety at all times.

As shown in FIG. 10, when a table 36 that can be used for manual work is erected on the front side of the load transfer work space 9 in the Y direction, it is arranged 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 projector) 34a can be attached to the edge of the table 36 on the load transfer work space 9 side or the lower side thereof. In the figure, the light reflector 34b with respect to the light emitting / receiving device 34a is attached to the edge of the table 36 on the load transfer work space 9 side.

Further, as shown in FIG. 11, a portal support that allows the containers Cy and Cx to pass and move in the Y direction behind the container support and transport bodies 14a and 14b provided by the elevating transfer means 14A and 14B in the Y direction. A frame 37 was attached, and the portal support frame 37 was attached to the horizontal frame portion 37a along the X direction at the upper end of the portal support frame 37 to the front support frame 35a (which may be the table 36) shown in FIG. Obstacle detecting means 33A and 33B can also be configured by attaching a light reflecting plate 38b to the light emitting / receiving device 38a. According to this configuration, when the container support carriers 14a and 14b start ascending and descending from a fixed position in the load transfer work space 9, the light emitting and receiving receiver 38a can be switched ON to detect obstacles. .. Of course, also in this embodiment, it is possible to use an obstacle detecting means composed of a combination of a projector and a receiver, and the projector 38a and the light reflector 38b shown in FIG. 11 are arranged at opposite positions with each other. Although it is possible to install it, according to the embodiment shown in FIG. 11, it is not necessary to provide an energizing path between the container support and transporting bodies 14a and 14b which are moving bodies and the fixed position, and an obstacle can be easily and easily installed. The detection means can be configured.

When the obstacle detecting means 31, 33, 33A, 33B uses the obstacle detecting light films 31a, 33a, 33b between the light emitting and receiving receivers, the obstacle detecting light films 31a, 33a, 33b. Means an aggregate of a large number of light rays individually projected from a large number of floodlights arranged in parallel at appropriate intervals, in addition to a flat ray film projected from a slit-shaped opening of the floodlight. Of course, as the obstacle detecting means, a type that does not use the light film for detecting obstacles between the light emitting and receiving devices, for example, using an imaging device (camera) can also be used.

The transfer device of the present invention can switch the work of transferring the load in the container to be carried out into the container to be carried in by switching between the automatic work performed by the automatic device and the manual work performed by the operator as necessary. It can be used as a transfer device.

1 Loading / unloading unit 2 Stand 2a Auxiliary stand 5a, 5b X direction (horizontal direction) Pair of side frames 7 Container receiving area for loading / unloading 8 Container receiving area for loading 9 Loading / unloading work space 10, 11 Loading / unloading Conveyor 12 Carry-in conveyor unit 13 Carry-out conveyor unit 14A, 14B Lifting and moving means 14a, 14b Container support carrier 15,16 Fixed rail member 15a to 16b Movable support base 17,18 Y direction (front-back direction) Pair of movable Rail member 19-22 Movable body 19a-22a Lifting rail member 19b-22b Lifting support stand 23-26 Picking head 23a-26a Lifting rod 27 Load transfer work area 28,29 Imaging device 31, 33, 33A, 33B Obstacles Detection means 31a, 33a, 33b Obstacle detection light film 32a, 34a, 38a Floodlight or light projector 32b, 34b, 38b Light receiver or light reflector 35a, 35b Support frame 36 Table 37 Gate-shaped support frame Bs Small size load Bb Large size load Cy Container to be loaded Cx Container to be loaded Sp1 to Sp3 Standby position Sa1 Narrow waiting area Sa2 Wide waiting area Wx X direction Moving range Wy Y direction moving range

Claims (7)

Both ends of the two movable rail members parallel to each other are supported in parallel and laterally by two fixed rail members in the Y direction orthogonal to the X direction, which is the length direction of the movable rail members. Each of the two movable rail members is provided with a load-loading / unloading unit in which a movable body is supported so as to be reciprocally movable in the X direction, and a picking head capable of lifting a load is provided on each movable body so as to be able to move up and down. In the transfer device
The entire loading / unloading unit is inclined so that one end side of the fixed rail member is lowered with respect to the other end side, and the picking head in a plan view is below the totally inclined loading / unloading unit. In the movable area of the above, a cargo transfer work space is provided in which the container receiving area to be unloaded and the container receiving area to be loaded are parallel in the X direction, and the container receiving area to be unloaded and the container receiving area to be loaded are to be loaded. The container receiving area is configured so that the container to be loaded and unloaded and the container to be loaded in are tilted in a direction parallel to the loading and unloading unit, which is tilted as a whole when viewed from the X direction. , A transfer device in which a worker's load transfer work area is set on the floor surface on the lower end side of the inclination of the container with respect to the two container receiving sites parallel to each other in the X direction. The waiting areas of the two movable rail members are set above both outer sides in the Y direction with respect to the two container receiving areas parallel to each other in the X direction. One standby area on the side close to the area is a narrow standby area in which only one movable rail member on the lower end side of the inclination of the loading / unloading unit can stand by among the two movable rail members, and the other on the opposite side. The transfer device according to claim 1, wherein the standby area is a wide standby area in which the two movable rail members can be made to stand by in a state of being adjacent to each other in the Y direction. The movable body provided with the picking head so as to be able to move up and down is provided with two each of the two movable rail members, and the two movable bodies provided with each movable rail member are of the movable rail member. The transfer device according to claim 2, wherein the transfer device is provided so as to be reciprocally movable between both ends of each movable rail member so that both ends can be positioned adjacent to each other. A conveyor for loading and unloading containers to the container receiving area to be loaded and unloaded and a conveyor for loading and unloading containers to the container receiving area to be loaded and unloaded are provided. It is provided with a layer loading conveyor unit, a loading conveyor unit, and an elevating transfer means, and the elevating transfer means provides a container support conveyor that moves along an elevating path between the two conveyor units via the container receiving area. When the container-supported conveyor is located at least in both container receiving areas, the container-supported conveyor is inclined so that the supported container is parallel to the loading / unloading unit. The transfer device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, which is configured to be used. Any of claims 1 to 4, wherein an obstacle detecting means for detecting an obstacle existing above the container carried into the container receiving place to be carried out and the container receiving place to be carried in is provided. The transfer device according to item 1. An obstacle detecting means for detecting an obstacle existing above the container carried into the container receiving place to be carried out and the container receiving place to be carried in is provided, and the obstacle detecting means is a light receiving receiver. The light-reflecting plate is attached to the container-supporting and transporting body of the elevating and transferring means, and the light-receiving receiver is a container receiving place where the container supported and transported by the container-supporting and transporting body is used. The transfer device according to claim 4, wherein the transfer device is provided at a fixed position corresponding to the light reflector when it is located at. The obstacle detecting means includes an obstacle detecting means for detecting an obstacle existing above the container carried into the container receiving place to be carried out and an upper side of the container carried into the container receiving place to be carried in. The transfer device according to claim 5 or 6, which is divided into two obstacle detecting means for detecting an obstacle existing in the above.

Images