JP7067945B2 - Pallet transport system and pallet transport method - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a pallet transport system and a pallet transport method, and more particularly to a pallet transport system for transporting pallets.

When carrying out corrugated cardboard or the like from a warehouse, it is loaded on a pallet and then loaded on a transport truck using a forklift or a hand lift (see Patent Document 1). This is usually done in the order of palletizing, conveyor unloading, transporting to a platform using a forklift or pallet jack, laying flat, and loading onto a truck using a dedicated forklift.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2012-206748

However, for a forklift or the like, the direction in which the fork or the like is inserted into the lift-up hole of the pallet and pulled out is fixed. Further, it is necessary to secure a space for these operations and for changing the direction of the pallet, which causes a decrease in work efficiency. This is a big problem, especially when transporting to a platform and stacking flat. It is difficult to install fixed objects such as conveyors in the current warehouse because it is premised on various distribution forms.

In addition, ordinary forklifts cannot get on the truck due to their weight and size. Therefore, a separate forklift is required for loading from the platform to the truck.

Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a pallet transport system or the like suitable for improving the work efficiency of transporting pallets.

The first aspect of the present invention is a pallet transport system for transporting pallets, wherein the pallet has a through hole for lift-up, and the pallet transport system includes a plurality of automatic carts. Each automatic pallet is provided with a main body portion and a ground contact portion on one end side and the other end side in the longitudinal direction of the main body portion, and each automatic pallet has a ground contact portion on one end side and the other end portion in the main body portion. The distance from the ground contact portion on the side is longer than the length of the through hole for lift-up, and it is possible to enter from one direction of the through hole and exit from the same direction, or exit from the other direction. The automatic trolley enters the through hole with the pallet in contact with the ground, and on the outside of the pallet, the ground contact portion on one end side of the through hole and the ground contact portion on the other end side touch the ground. The pallet is raised on the upper surface of the main body so as not to touch the ground, and the pallet is moved by the plurality of automatic trolleys moving in synchronization with each other.

The second aspect of the present invention is the pallet transport system according to the first aspect, wherein the main body portion of each of the automatic carriages enters the through hole on one end side and / or the other end side. A synchronization unit for synchronizing with another automatic trolley is provided at a position located outside the pallet with the ground contact portion grounded, and the plurality of automatic trolleys are in a state where the pallet is in contact with the ground. Independently enters the through hole, and in a state of entering the pallet, the pallet is simultaneously positioned in parallel and moved by raising the pallet.

A third aspect of the present invention is the pallet transport system according to the first or second aspect, wherein each automatic trolley rises the central portion of the main body portion by bending at at least two places of the main body portion. By doing so, the pallet is raised so as not to touch the ground.

A fourth aspect of the present invention is a pallet transport method in a pallet transport system for transporting pallets, wherein the pallet has a through hole for lift-up, and the pallet transport system has a plurality of automatic carts. Each of the automatic pallets is provided with a main body portion and a grounding portion on one end side and the other end side in the longitudinal direction of the main body portion, and each automatic pallet has a grounding portion on one end side in the main body portion. The distance between the pallet and the ground contact portion on the other end side is longer than the length of the through hole for lift-up, and the through hole may enter from one direction and exit from the same direction, or exit from the other direction. Each of the automatic trolleys enters the through hole with the pallet in contact with the ground, and on the outside of the pallet, the ground contact portion on one end side and the ground contact portion on the other end side of the through hole are formed. It includes a step of moving the pallet by touching the ground, raising the pallet on the upper surface of the main body to prevent the pallet from touching the ground, and moving the plurality of automatic carts in synchronization with each other.

According to each aspect of the present invention, the plurality of automatic trolleys enter the through hole for lifting up the pallet. Multiple automated trolleys move independently because they are not connected like the forks of background technology forklifts. Therefore, the automatic trolley can exit from the side where it entered, like a forklift, and unlike a forklift, it can exit from a side different from the side where it entered. Therefore, in a forklift or the like, the work space is fixed because the side where the fork is inserted and the side where the fork is pulled out are the same, but there is no such restriction in the present invention. Therefore, even in a narrow transportation space, it can be transported correspondingly.

In addition, the plurality of automatic trolleys move corresponding to the through holes of the pallet. Therefore, there is no problem such as size when carrying it into a truck or the like. Therefore, it is possible to arrange a transportation route from the platform to the truck by bridging according to the through hole of the pallet and realize continuous loading.

Furthermore, since a plurality of automatic trolleys are used, it is sufficient to control the distance between the automatic trolleys even if the types of pallets are different due to mixed operation of various types, and it is possible to easily deal with them.

It is a figure which shows an example of the structure and operation of the pallet transport system of this invention.

Hereinafter, examples of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The embodiment of the present invention is not limited to the following examples.

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration and operation of the pallet transport system of the present invention.

With reference to FIG. 1 (a), the configuration of each automatic trolley 1 in the pallet transport system is taken as an example of the case where there are two automatic trolleys 1 ₁ and 1 ₂ (subscripts may be omitted). To explain. The automatic trolleys 1 ₁ and 1 ₂ have the same configuration.

The automatic trolley 1 includes a central portion 3, a first end portion 5, a second end portion 7, a first wheel portion 9, and a second wheel portion 11 (central portion 3, first end portion 5, and first). The combination of the two end portions 7 is an example of the "main body portion" of the present claim. The first wheel portion 9 and the second wheel portion 11 are examples of the "grounding portion" of the present application claim, respectively. .). The first end portion 5 and the second end portion 7 are located at one end and the other end in the longitudinal direction of the central portion 3, respectively. The central portion 3 can be bent and the central portion 3 can be raised between the central portion 3 and the first end portion 5 and between the central portion 3 and the second end portion 7 (see FIG. 1 (f)). In this embodiment, the through hole 23 of the pallet 21 is entered in a state where the pallet 21 is not bent, and the pallet 21 is bent to raise the pallet 21 so that the pallet 21 is not grounded. Suppose you leave from.

A specific operation of transporting the pallet 21 will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 (b) to 1 (f). It is assumed that two through holes ₂₃₁ and 223 ₂ are formed in parallel on the pallet 21. According to the prior art, a fork or the like of a forklift is inserted into the through holes ₂₃₁ and ₂₃₂ for transportation. Therefore, the through holes ₂₃₁ and 223 ₂ are for lift-up.

The automatic trolleys 1 ₁ and 1 ₂ of FIG. ₁ (a) enter the through holes ₂₃₁ and 232, respectively. The longitudinal direction of the central portion 3 is longer than the longitudinal direction of the through hole 23. Unlike the prior art, a plurality of automatic trolleys 1 may enter the through hole 23 from the same direction or from different directions. Therefore, for example, when transporting a plurality of pallets, the automatic trolley 1 can be efficiently linked according to the positional relationship.

With reference to FIGS. 1 (b) to 1 (e), an example of entering from the side of the second end portion 7 will be described. Each automatic trolley 1 moves independently under the control of a control device (not shown). The control device instructs each automatic trolley 1 to enter the through hole 23. With reference to FIG. 1 (b), the automatic carriage 1 moves so as to be positioned in the longitudinal direction on the extension of the through hole 23 with respect to the through hole 23 of the pallet 21. Then, referring to FIG. 1 (c), the pallet 21 enters the through hole 23 from the side of the second end portion 7. With reference to FIG. 1 (d), since the longitudinal direction of the central portion 3 is longer than the longitudinal direction of the through hole 23, the first end portion 5 and the second end portion 7 penetrate the pallet 21 in the entered state. Located on the outside of the hole 23, the first wheel portion 9 and the second wheel portion 11 are grounded on the outside of the pallet 21.

FIG. 1 (e) shows a state in which the automatic trolleys 1 ₁ and _{1 2} have entered the through holes ₂₃₁ and 223, respectively. The first ends 5 ₁ and 5 ₂ and the second ends 7 ₁ and 7 ₂ are located outside the pallet 21. The first end portion 5 and the second end portion 7 include a synchronization unit for synchronizing with each other. The synchronization process is performed, for example, while communicating between the synchronization units by a laser or the like. When the approach processing of all the automatic trolleys 1 is completed, the control device instructs each automatic trolley 1 to start the synchronization processing. Each automatic trolley 1 instructed to start the synchronization process performs the operation instructed by the control device while synchronizing with the other automatic trolleys 1 by the synchronization unit. The synchronization unit may be provided only on one of the first end portion 5 and the second end portion 7.

The lift-up process and the transport process will be described with reference to FIG. 1 (f). The control device instructs the two automatic trolleys 1 to perform lift-up processing. The two automatic trolleys 1 bend between the central portion 3 and the first end portion 5 and between the central portion 3 and the second end portion 7 while synchronizing, and raise the central portion 3. Then, the flat upper surface of the central portion 3 reaches the upper side of the through hole 23, and the pallet 21 is raised while being further raised and supported. As a result, as shown in FIG. 1 (f), the pallet 21 can be lifted up so as not to touch the ground. The control device instructs the two automatic trolleys 1 to move. The two automatic trolleys 1 move the pallets 21 according to the instructions while synchronizing with each other and the pallets 21 are not in contact with the ground.

The lift-down process of the pallet 21 and the exit process from the through hole 23 can be similarly realized. That is, the lift-down process can be realized by forming the central portion 3, the first end portion 5, and the second end portion 7 into a straight line without bending. Then, it is possible to exit from one of the longitudinal directions of the through hole 23.

As with the fork of the forklift of the background technique, for example, if the fork is inserted in a U shape, both the insertion process and the transport process need to be performed simultaneously in the plurality of through holes 23. On the other hand, according to the present invention, unlike the prior art, the automatic trolley 1 can independently and arbitrarily select the direction and timing of entry and exit to the through hole 23, so that a space is provided on the side where the automatic trolley 1 has entered after transportation. There are no restrictions such as providing. Further, since the structure is supported from both sides of the through hole 23, even movement such as rotation can be realized in a narrow space. Further, the plurality of automatic trolleys 1 do not have problems such as size when they are carried into a truck or the like. Therefore, it is possible to arrange a transportation route from the platform to the truck by bridging according to the through hole 23 of the pallet 21 and realize continuous loading.

Further, since a plurality of automatic trolleys 1 are used, even if the types of pallets are different due to mixed operation of various types, it is sufficient to control the distance between the automatic trolleys 1 and it can be easily dealt with.

1 Automatic trolley, 3 Central part, 5 1st end part, 7 2nd end part, 9 1st wheel part, 11 2nd wheel part, 21 pallet, 23 through hole

Claims (3)

A pallet transport system for transporting pallets,
The pallet has a through hole for lift-up.
The pallet transport system is equipped with multiple automated trolleys.
Each of the automatic trolleys is provided with a main body portion and a grounding portion on one end side and the other end side in the longitudinal direction of the main body portion.
Each of the above automatic trolleys
In the main body portion, the distance between the ground contact portion on one end side and the ground contact portion on the other end side is longer than the length of the through hole for lift-up.
It is possible to enter from one direction of the through hole and exit from the same direction, or to exit from the other direction.
Each of the above automatic trolleys
When the pallet is in contact with the ground, the through hole is entered, and on the outside of the pallet, the grounding portion on one end side and the grounding portion on the other end side are grounded.
The pallet is raised on the upper surface of the main body so that it does not touch the ground.
By moving the plurality of automatic trolleys in synchronization , the pallet is moved.
The main body of each of the automatic trolleys is located on one end side and / or the other end side of the pallet in a state where the grounding portion enters the through hole and the grounding portion is in contact with the ground. Equipped with a synchronization unit for communicating with and synchronizing with
The synchronization unit controls the distance between the plurality of automatic trolleys according to the type of pallet when different types of pallets exist due to mixed operation.
The plurality of automatic trolleys
While the pallet is in contact with the ground, it independently enters the through hole and enters the through hole.
A pallet transport system that moves the pallet up and moves in parallel while entering the pallet. The pallet transport according to claim 1 , wherein each automatic trolley raises the pallet by raising the central portion of the main body by bending at at least two places of the main body to raise the pallet so as not to touch the ground. system. A pallet transport method in a pallet transport system for transporting pallets.
The pallet has a through hole for lift-up.
The pallet transport system is equipped with multiple automated trolleys.
Each of the automatic trolleys is provided with a main body portion and a grounding portion on one end side and the other end side in the longitudinal direction of the main body portion.
Each of the above automatic trolleys
In the main body portion, the distance between the ground contact portion on one end side and the ground contact portion on the other end side is longer than the length of the through hole for lift-up.
It is possible to enter from one direction of the through hole and exit from the same direction, or to exit from the other direction.
Each of the above automatic trolleys
When the pallet is in contact with the ground, the through hole is entered, and on the outside of the pallet, the grounding portion on one end side and the grounding portion on the other end side are grounded.
The pallet is raised on the upper surface of the main body so that it does not touch the ground.
Including the step of moving the pallet by moving the plurality of automatic trolleys in synchronization.
The main body of each of the automatic trolleys is located on one end side and / or the other end side of the pallet in a state where the grounding portion enters the through hole and the grounding portion is in contact with the ground. Equipped with a synchronization unit for communicating with and synchronizing with
In the step, the synchronization unit controls the distance between the plurality of automatic trolleys according to the type of pallet when different types of pallets exist due to the mixed operation.
The plurality of automatic trolleys
While the pallet is in contact with the ground, it independently enters the through hole and enters the through hole.
A pallet transporting method in which the pallet is moved by raising the pallet while being in the pallet and being positioned in parallel in synchronization with each other.

Images