JP7387288B2 - picking equipment - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a picking device. For example, the present invention relates to a picking device that holds articles transported on a transport route and transfers them to another transport route.

Patent Document 1 discloses a conveying device that holds and unloads a large number of box-shaped articles loaded into a truck compartment one by one. The transport device has an image processing means such as a 3D camera. A large number of articles are photographed and image information is processed by an image processing means. This makes it possible to obtain information such as the size and location of the item.

Picking devices are used, for example, at airports. At an airport, passengers boarding an airplane leave their baggage (goods) at the boarding counter in the airport terminal building. A conveyor transports baggage from the boarding counter to a loop-shaped conveyor (make conveyor) installed in the backyard. Baggage is transferred from the make conveyor to multiple size conveyors by a picking device. Baggage is distributed according to size on conveyors according to size. Baggage is loaded into the container via the transfer size conveyor and the waiting conveyor. The container is transported to the aircraft and loaded into the cargo compartment of the aircraft.

JP2017-206318A

In order to distribute baggage to conveyors according to size, it is necessary to recognize the size of baggage. There is a means for recognizing the size of baggage by processing image information obtained using, for example, a 3D camera or a laser, such as the conveyance device described in Patent Document 1. However, errors may occur in the image information depending on the surface condition of the baggage, the brightness of the work site, etc. In this case, baggage whose size does not match the size of each size conveyor may be transferred. As a result, the transport line may be delayed or stopped.

Another possibility is to accurately recognize the shape of baggage by stopping the baggage and measuring the baggage, rather than on the make conveyor that moves the baggage. However, at airports, due to flight times, it is necessary to load baggage into the cargo hold of an aircraft in a relatively short period of time. Therefore, it is desirable to avoid prolonging the transportation time. Therefore, there has been a need for a size determining means that accurately and quickly determines the size of articles to be transferred to a size-specific transport path.

According to one feature of the present disclosure, a picking device that holds and transfers articles includes a base, a suction mechanism, and a pair of clamp mechanisms. The suction mechanism is provided at the base and uses negative pressure to removably hold the article. A pair of clamp mechanisms are movably mounted on the base on both sides of the suction mechanism. The pair of clamp mechanisms are moved relative to the base by a moving mechanism. At least one of the pair of clamp mechanisms is provided with a contact detection means. The contact detection means detects contact with the article. Clamp position detection means for detecting the positions of the pair of clamp mechanisms is provided. An article size determination circuit determines the size of the article based on a detection signal from the clamp position detection means when the pair of clamp mechanisms clamps and stops the article.

Therefore, the pair of clamp mechanisms serve two functions. First, the size of the article is determined from the positions of the pair of clamp mechanisms. Since the pair of clamp mechanisms are in direct contact with the article, the size of the article can be calculated more accurately. Second, the pair of clamp mechanisms cooperate with the suction mechanism to hold the article. Since the pair of clamp mechanisms are located on both sides of the suction mechanism, the article is held stably. Since the holding operation and the measuring operation are performed almost simultaneously, the size of the article can be calculated quickly.

According to another feature of the present disclosure, the pair of clamp mechanisms includes an arm and a fall prevention piece. The arms are each movably or rotatably connected to the base. The fall prevention piece extends from the lower part of the arm and supports the article from below. Therefore, the article is sandwiched from both sides by the pair of clamp mechanisms and is supported from below by the fall prevention piece. As a result, even if the article comes off the suction mechanism during transfer, for example, the fall prevention piece can prevent the article from falling.

According to another feature of the present disclosure, the arm is moved horizontally relative to the base by a horizontal movement mechanism. The arm rotates in the vertical direction with respect to the horizontal movement mechanism by the vertical rotation mechanism. Therefore, by horizontally moving the arms so as to sandwich the article, the horizontal size of the article can be accurately calculated. Furthermore, the arm is rotated so that the fall prevention piece is positioned below the article. This allows the article supported by the pair of arms to be stably held.

FIG. 1 is a plan view of the entire conveying device according to the present embodiment. FIG. 2 is a rear view of the conveyance device seen from the direction of arrow II in FIG. 1; FIG. 3 is a front view of the picking device. 3 is a plan view of the picking device viewed from the direction of arrow IV in FIG. 2. FIG. 5 is a side view of the picking device viewed from the direction of arrow V in FIG. 4. FIG. FIG. 3 is a plan view of the arm. It is a front view of an arm. FIG. 8 is an enlarged view of portion VIII in FIG. 7 in a clamped posture. FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view taken along line IX-IX in FIG. 8; FIG. 3 is a block diagram of control components of the clamp device. It is a flowchart until the size of baggage to be transported on the upstream transport route is determined. It is a flowchart of the transfer of baggage by a picking device.

This embodiment will be described based on FIGS. 1 to 12. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a transport device (goods transport system) 1 is used, for example, at an airport to transport passenger baggage (goods) 5 deposited at a boarding counter (not shown) to a cargo hold 4a of an aircraft 4. do. The conveyance device 1 includes an upstream conveyance path 1a and a downstream conveyance path 1b. The upstream conveyance path 1a includes an oval loop-shaped conveyor 2, also called a make conveyor. The conveyor 2 includes a plurality of plates for conveying a plurality of baggage items 5 in a counterclockwise direction as indicated by the white arrow in FIG. 1, and a motor for moving the plurality of plates. The baggage 5 is, for example, a suitcase (traveling bag) with casters.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a conveyance state recognition means (size recognition means, posture recognition means) 7 is arranged above the right-hand side region of the conveyor 2 (the region close to the downstream conveyance path 1b). The conveyance state recognition means 7 is attached to the conveyance frame 6 that straddles the conveyor 2, and recognizes the baggage 5 on the conveyor 2 from above. The conveyance state recognition means 7 includes, for example, a 2D camera or a 3D camera, and an image processing circuit that processes image data obtained from the camera. The conveyance state recognition means 7 obtains visual information regarding the position, size (width, length, height), posture (inclination), etc. of the baggage 5 on the conveyor 2 with respect to the conveyance direction from the image data. In the following description, the direction of movement in the right side area of the conveyor 2 shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 is referred to as the front, and the up, down, left and right directions are defined with the front of the direction of movement as a reference.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a picking device 50 is disposed on the downstream side (upper side in the figure) of the conveyance state recognition means 7 in the conveyance direction. As shown in FIG. 3, the picking device 50 includes a base 53, a suction mechanism 55, and a pair of clamp mechanisms 60 that are movable or rotatable with respect to the base 53. The suction mechanism 55 is supported at a substantially central lower portion of the base portion 53 . A first clamp mechanism 61 and a second clamp mechanism 71 that constitute the pair of clamp mechanisms 60 are provided on both sides of the suction mechanism 55. The first clamp mechanism 61 and the second clamp mechanism 71 are arranged substantially symmetrically with respect to the center position of the suction mechanism 55 and face each other. The base portion 53 is supported by the upper support portion 51 via the rotation mechanism 52. The base portion 53 is connected to the support portion 51 by a rotation mechanism 52 so as to be pivotable on a horizontal plane.

As shown in FIG. 3, a suction section 56 is provided at the bottom of the suction mechanism 55. The adsorption section 56 has a substantially rectangular opening 56a that is open at the bottom, an elastic member 56b, and a pipe 56c. The elastic member 56b is provided around the inner periphery of the opening 56a. The elastic member 56b is integrally formed of, for example, a highly airtight sponge. Therefore, when the elastic member 56b comes into contact with the baggage 5, there is almost no gap between the elastic member 56b and the baggage 5, resulting in high airtightness. The pipe 56c is connected to the upper part of the opening 56a and extends upward. The upper part of the pipe 56c is connected to a pipe 51a disposed on the support section 51. The pipe 51a is connected to a suction device 57 via a regulating valve 51b that regulates negative pressure. When the suction device 57 is activated and sucks air, negative pressure is generated in the opening 56a. The suction section 56 holds the baggage 5 by suctioning the upper surface of the baggage 5 that is in contact with the suction section 56 using the negative pressure of the opening 56a. Although not particularly visible in the drawing, the suction mechanism 55 has a holding detection means that is biased downward so as to protrude downward from the opening 56a. The holding detection means is in an off state when it protrudes from the opening 56a. The holding detection means is turned on by being pushed upward by the baggage 5 attracted to the opening 56a.

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the first clamp mechanism 61 and the second clamp mechanism 71 have arm supports 61a, 71a, arms 65, 75, and moving mechanisms 62, 72. The arms 65, 75 are composed of a pair of parallel columnar members extending from arm rotation shafts 65a, 75a that extend forward and backward in the illustrated state. The arms 65, 75 are rotatably supported by arm supports 61a, 71a. The moving mechanisms 62 and 72 have horizontal moving mechanisms 63 and 73 and vertical rotation mechanisms 64 and 74 as mechanisms for moving the first clamp mechanism 61 and the second clamp mechanism 71. The arm support parts 61a and 71a are connected to the base part 53 so as to be movable in the horizontal direction toward or away from the suction mechanism 55 by horizontal movement mechanisms 63 and 73. The horizontal movement mechanisms 63, 73 have servo motors 63a, 73a as drive sources for moving the arm supports 61a, 71a.

As shown in FIG. 3, the arms 65, 75 are connected to arm supports 61a, 71a so as to be rotatable up and down about arm rotation shafts 65a, 75a. The vertical rotation mechanisms 64, 74 have air cylinders 64a, 74a as driving sources for vertically rotating the arms 65, 75 between a standby position extending substantially horizontally and a clamp position extending vertically.

As shown in FIG. 4, the servo motors 63a, 73a are provided at the left rear or right rear of the base 53 in the illustrated state. Drive-side pulleys 63b, 73b are connected to drive shafts of the servo motors 63a, 73a that extend to the left or right. In front of the driving pulleys 63b, 73b, driven pulleys 63d, 73d are provided in parallel with the driving pulleys 63b, 73b. The respective axes of the driving pulleys 63b, 73b and the driven pulleys 63d, 73d are parallel. As shown in FIG. 5, a timing belt 63c that transmits rotational force is placed across the driving pulley 63b and the driven pulley 63d. Similarly, as shown in FIG. 4, a timing belt 73c that transmits rotational force is placed across the driving pulley 73b and the driven pulley 73d.

As shown in FIG. 4, the driven pulleys 63d and 73d are connected to screw shafts 63e and 73e that extend in the left-right direction in the illustrated state. Nuts 63f and 73f are screwed onto the screw shafts 63e and 73e. Although not particularly visible in the figure, balls are interposed in the threaded portions of the nuts 63f, 73f and the screw shafts 63e, 73e. The screw shafts 63e, 73e, nuts 63f, 73f, and balls constitute a so-called ball screw. Arm support parts 61a and 71a are integrally connected to the nuts 63f and 73f. The arm support parts 61a, 71a are supported so as to be movable in the left-right direction with respect to the base 53 via slide bearings 63g, 73g extending in the left-right direction.

As shown in FIG. 4, the air cylinders 64a, 74a are attached to cylinder supports 64d, 74d of the arm supports 61a, 71a. Air cylinders 64a, 74a are arranged above arms 65, 75. The cylinder support parts 64d, 74d are supported to be slightly rotatable up and down with respect to the arm support parts 61a, 71a. As shown in FIG. 3, the tips of the piston shafts 64b, 74b extending from the air cylinders 64a, 74a are connected to arm connecting portions 64c, 74c so as to be biased by the air pressure of the air cylinders 64a, 74a. The arm connecting portions 64c, 74c are connected to the arms 65, 75 on the distal end side of the arms 65, 75 (the side farther from the suction mechanism 55 in the illustrated state) than the arm rotation shafts 65a, 75a.

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the tips of the arms 65 and 75 are provided with plate-shaped fall prevention pieces 65b and 75b that extend in the front-rear direction in the illustrated state and protrude substantially perpendicularly to the extending direction of the arms 65 and 75. is provided. The direction in which the fall prevention pieces 65b and 75b extend is to the right or to the left, which is the baggage 5 side when the arms 65 and 75 are in the clamp position. The top surfaces of the fall prevention pieces 65b, 75b in the clamped position are covered with elastic members 65c, 75c made of rubber, for example, to prevent slipping when holding the baggage 5.

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the arms 65 and 75 have contact detection means 66 and 76. The detection plates 66a, 76a of the contact detection means 66, 76 extend along the extending direction of the arms 65, 75, and extend in the front-rear direction in the illustrated state. The detection plates 66a, 76a are rotatably supported by arms 65, 75 about plate rotation axes 66c, 76c. As shown in FIG. 6, the plate rotation axis 66c is parallel to the arm rotation axis 65a. Similarly, the plate rotation axis 76c shown in FIG. 3 is parallel to the arm rotation axis 75a. The detection plates 66a, 76a are located on the right or left side closer to the baggage 5 than the arms 65, 75 when the arms 65, 75 are in the clamp position. The right side surface of the detection plate 66a and the left side surface of the detection plate 76a in the clamped position are covered with elastic members 66b, 76b, such as rubber, to prevent slipping when clamping the baggage 5.

As shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, a compression coil spring 66d is provided between the arm 65 and the detection plate 66a. In the illustrated state, the detection plate 66a is biased to the right away from the arm 65 by a compression coil spring 66d. The arm 65 has a photosensor 66e above the compression coil spring 66d in the illustrated state. As shown in FIG. 9, the photosensor 66e has a groove that penetrates in the left-right direction in the illustrated state. A light emitting section 66f and a light receiving section 66g are provided on both sides of the groove of the photosensor 66e, facing each other. The light emitting section 66f emits, for example, infrared rays, and the light receiving section 66g receives the infrared rays. As shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, the detection plate 66a has a sensor dog 66h extending toward the arm 65. The sensor dog 66h is arranged so as to be able to enter and leave the groove of the photosensor 66e.

The contact detection means 76 shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 has the same configuration as a compression coil spring 66d, a photosensor 66e, and a sensor dog 66h (see FIGS. 7 and 8). A compression coil spring is provided between the detection plate 76a and the arm 75 to bias the detection plate 76a in a direction away from the arm 75. The photosensor provided on the arm 75 has a light emitting part and a light receiving part facing each other. The detection plate 76a has a sensor dog that can enter between the light emitting part and the light receiving part and can be removed.

As shown in FIG. 1, the transport frame 6 includes front and rear frames 6a, 6b and left and right frames 6d, 6e for moving the picking device 50 in the front, back, right and left directions. The front and rear frames 6a and 6b extend along the left-right direction. The rear frame 6a is arranged so as to fit approximately in the center of the loop-shaped conveyor 2. The front frame 6b is arranged on the front side of the conveyor 2, that is, on the downstream conveyance path 1b side. A left-right moving mechanism 6c is provided to bridge the front and rear frames 6a and 6b. The left-right moving mechanism 6c includes, for example, a motor, and is movable in the left-right direction along the front and rear frames 6a, 6b by driving the motor. The left and right movement mechanism 6c has left and right frames 6d and 6e that bridge front and rear frames 6a and 6b. The left and right frames 6d and 6e are arranged side by side in the left and right direction. A longitudinal movement mechanism 6f is provided to bridge the left and right frames 6d and 6e. The longitudinal movement mechanism 6f includes, for example, a motor, and is movable in the longitudinal direction along the left and right frames 6d and 6e by driving the motor.

As shown in FIG. 2, an elevating mechanism 6g for elevating and lowering the picking device 50 is provided below the longitudinal movement mechanism 6f. The elevating mechanism 6g includes a holding part 6h extending downward from the front-rear moving mechanism 6f, and a slider 6i that can be moved up and down along the holding part 6h. The holding portion 6h is connected to the support portion 51 shown in FIG. 3. As shown in FIG. 2, when the slider 6i is located at the lower part of the holding part 6h, the picking device 50 is supported at an up and down angle that is substantially parallel to the baggage 5 on the conveyor 2. When the slider 6i rises and is located above the holding portion 6h, the picking device 50 becomes substantially horizontal, and takes a substantially horizontal posture with the size-based conveyor 30. Thereby, the baggage 5 is smoothly conveyed from the picking device 50 to the size-specific conveyor 30.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the size-specific conveyor 30 is arranged on the upper right side of the conveyor 2 in the figure. The size-specific conveyor 30 has four distribution conveyors 31 to 34 arranged in parallel. A detection sensor 30b for detecting whether each distribution conveyor 31-34 is full of baggage 5 is provided at the upstream end of each distribution conveyor 31-34 in the transport direction. The detection sensors 30b are a pair of photosensors arranged in a horizontal direction intersecting the traveling direction of each distribution conveyor 31-34. One detection sensor 30b emits, for example, infrared rays, and the other detection sensor 30b receives the infrared rays. If the pair of detection sensors 30b is not interrupted or if the interruption is within a predetermined time (for example, 5 seconds), the detection sensor 30b is in an off state. When a predetermined period of time elapses with the detection sensor 30b being disconnected, the detection sensor 30b is turned on.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a movable stopper 30a for regulating the movement of the baggage 5 is provided at the downstream end of each of the distribution conveyors 31 to 34 in the conveyance direction. Stopper 30a is rotatably connected to distribution conveyors 31-34. The stopper 30a is rotated between an upper closed position and a lower open position by a rotation mechanism such as a motor.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a standby conveyor (traverser) 36 is arranged in front of the distribution conveyors 31 to 34. The standby conveyor 36 is installed on a rail extending left and right so as to be movable in the left and right directions intersecting the conveying direction of the distribution conveyors 31 to 34, as shown by the white arrow in FIG. A stopper 36a is connected to the front of the waiting conveyor 36 to stop the baggage 5 moving forward. The stopper 36a is rotated between an upper closed position and a lower open position by a rotation mechanism such as a motor.

As shown in FIG. 2, above the standby conveyor 36, a standby state recognition means 8 is arranged. A 2D camera or a 3D camera is used as the standby state recognition means 8. Visual information regarding the size and posture of the baggage 5 on the waiting conveyor 36 is again obtained by the waiting state recognition means 8. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, below the size-specific conveyor 30 and the standby conveyor 36, a downstream conveyance path 1b is provided for carrying in and out the containers 3. A loading robot (loading device) 40 is provided in front of the standby conveyor 36 to load baggage 5 from the standby conveyor 36 into the container 3. The loading robot 40 has a multi-jointed robot arm and a robot hand that holds the baggage 5 at the tip of the robot arm. The loading robot 40 is placed on a table 45 so as to be horizontally movable.

As shown in FIG. 10, a control board 20 that controls each control component of the picking device 50 receives signals from the conveyance state recognition means 7 and the detection sensor 30b shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. The control board 20 has a movement control circuit 22, a holding determination circuit 21, and a rotation control circuit 23. The movement control circuit 22 drives the left-right movement mechanism 6c and the front-back movement mechanism 6f shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, so that the picking device 50 moves in synchronization with the baggage 5 on the conveyor 2. The holding determination circuit 21 controls the suction mechanism 55 and the pair of clamp mechanisms 60 shown in FIG. 3, so that the suction mechanism 55 and the pair of clamp mechanisms 60 hold the baggage 5 on the conveyor 2. The rotation control circuit 23 controls the rotation mechanism 52 shown in FIG. 3 to change the direction of the base 53 on the horizontal plane.

As shown in FIG. 10, the control board 20 includes a cylinder control circuit 24, a motor control circuit (clamp position detection means) 25, and an article size determination circuit 26. As the cylinder control circuit 24 controls the switching valves 64e and 74e, the piston shafts 64b and 74b shown in FIG. 3 extend or retract from the air cylinders 64a and 74a. As the motor control circuit 25 drives the servo motors 63a and 73a, the arm supports 61a and 71a shown in FIG. 4 move relative to the base 53. The article size determination circuit 26 calculates the moving distance of the first clamp mechanism 61 and the second clamp mechanism 71 based on the control values of the servo motors 63a and 73a. The article size determination circuit 26 determines the horizontal size of the baggage 5 clamped by the first clamp mechanism 61 and the second clamp mechanism 71 when the photosensors 66e and 76e are turned on.

As shown in FIG. 10, the control board 20 includes a conveyor determining circuit 27 and a transfer destination determining circuit 28. The article size determination circuit 26 determines the size of the baggage 5, and the conveyor determination circuit 27 determines one of the distribution conveyors 31 to 34 shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 as the selected conveyor. When the detection sensor 30b shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 is in the off state, the transfer destination determining circuit 28 controls the transport frame 6 shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 to move the picking device 50 to the selected conveyor. Then, the picking device 50 transfers the baggage 5 to the selection conveyor. On the other hand, when the detection sensor 30b shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 is on, the transfer destination determining circuit 28 controls the transport frame 6 and the picking device 50, and the baggage 5 is transferred to the return conveyor 9.

A series of steps up to loading baggage 5 checked in at the boarding counter into the cargo hold 4a of the aircraft 4 will be explained based on FIGS. 1 to 12. The baggage 5 deposited by the passenger at the boarding procedure counter in step (hereinafter abbreviated as ST) 01 shown in FIG. 11 is sequentially conveyed to the conveyor 2 as shown in FIG. 1 (ST02). Visual information regarding the position, size, and inclination (posture) of the baggage 5 on the conveyor with respect to the conveyance direction is obtained by the conveyance state recognition means 7 and the image processing circuit (ST03). Information regarding the baggage 5 obtained by the conveyance state recognition means 7 is provided to the control board 20 shown in FIG.

The holding determination circuit 21 shown in FIG. 10 determines whether the baggage 5 is held based on the size of the baggage 5 obtained by the conveyance state recognition means 7 shown in FIGS. Decide on retention. (ST04). Baggage 5 is distributed to each distribution conveyor 31 to 34 according to size. For example, the baggage 5 is divided into four sizes: S size, M1 size, M2 size, and L size, and distributed to each distribution conveyor 31-34. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the picking device 50 is moved by the left-right moving mechanism 6c and the front-back moving mechanism 6f so as to synchronize above the baggage 5 moving on the conveyor 2 (ST05). Based on the attitude or angle of the baggage 5 obtained by the conveyance state recognition means 7, the base 53 is rotated by the rotation mechanism 52 shown in FIG. This allows the pair of clamp mechanisms 60 to be positioned corresponding to both ends of the baggage 5.

The picking device 50 is lowered by the lifting mechanism 6g shown in FIG. 2, and the suction part 56 shown in FIG. 3 is brought into contact with the upper surface of the baggage 5. By generating negative pressure with the suction device 57, the suction unit 56 attracts the upper surface of the baggage 5, and the lifting mechanism 6g raises the picking device 50, thereby lifting the baggage 5 (ST06). Under the control of the cylinder control circuit 24 shown in FIG. 10, the piston shafts 64b and 74b shown in FIG. 3 extend from the air cylinders 64a and 74a, respectively. The arms 65, 75 are urged by the piston shafts 64b, 74b and rotate to a downward clamping position. The detection plates 66a, 76a become substantially parallel to both side surfaces of the baggage 5 (ST07).

As shown in FIG. 10, the servo motors 63a and 73a are started by the motor control circuit 25 (ST08). As shown in FIG. 4, when the servo motors 63a and 73a rotate, the screw shaft 63e rotates around the drive pulley 63b, the timing belt 63c, and the driven pulley 63d. The rotation of the screw shaft 63e causes the nut 63f to move in the direction in which the screw shaft 63e extends. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 3, the arms 65 and 75 approach each other toward the baggage 5 held by the suction section 56. When the arm 65 is not in contact with the baggage 5, the detection plate 66a is positioned apart from the arm 65 by the compression coil spring 66d, as shown in FIG. In this case, the sensor dog 66h has separated from the groove of the photosensor 66e. Therefore, the light emitted from the light emitting section 66f is received by the light receiving section 66g, and the photosensor 66e is in an off state. Similarly to the arm 65, the photosensor provided on the arm 75 is also in an off state.

When the arm 65 further rotates toward the baggage 5 with the detection plate 66a hitting the side of the baggage 5 as shown in FIG. 3, the sensor dog 66h is placed between the light emitting part 66f and the light receiving part 66g as shown in FIG. Enter and block. As a result, the photosensor 66e is turned on (ST09). The servo motor 63a shown in FIG. 3 continues to drive when the photosensor 66e is in the off state, and stops when the photosensor 66e is in the on state (ST10). Like the servo motor 63a, the servo motor 73a shown in FIG. 3 continues to drive when the photosensor provided on the arm 75 is in the OFF state, and when the detection plate 76a approaches the arm 75, the photosensor is in the ON state. When this happens, it stops (ST11, 12). When both the servo motors 63a and 73a stop (ST13), the size of the baggage 5 is determined by the article size determining circuit 26 shown in FIG. 10 (ST14).

As shown in FIG. 10, the conveyor determining circuit 27 selects the conveyor to which the baggage 5 is to be transferred based on the size of the baggage 5 determined by the article size determining circuit 26. One of the distribution conveyors 31 to 34 is selected as the transfer destination conveyor (ST15 shown in FIG. 12). When it is detected by the signal from the detection sensor 30b that the selected conveyor is full (ST16), the transfer destination determination circuit 28 shown in FIG. 9 (ST19). If the signal from the detection sensor 30b detects that there is a vacant space on the selected conveyor, the transfer destination determination circuit 28 controls the transport frame 6 to move the picking device 50 toward the selected conveyor, and the picking device 50 Transfer baggage 5 to the selection conveyor (ST17).

As shown in FIG. 2, if the baggage 5 should come off the suction mechanism 55 during transfer to the selected conveyor and the suction mechanism 55 does not hold the baggage 5 (ST18), the holding detection means of the suction mechanism 55 is turned on. becomes the state of When the transfer destination determining circuit 28 shown in FIG. 10 receives the ON signal of the holding detection means, the baggage 5 held by the picking device 50 is transferred to the return conveyor 9 (ST19). When the suction mechanism 55 continues to hold the baggage 5 up to the selected conveyor (ST20), the holding of the baggage 5 by the suction mechanism 55 is released at the upstream end of the selection conveyor. As a result, the baggage 5 is transferred to the selected conveyor (ST21).

As shown in FIG. 3, when releasing the hold on the baggage 5 in ST19 and ST21, the servo motors 63a and 73a are activated to separate the arms 65 and 75 from each other. Further, the piston shafts 64b, 74b are drawn into the air cylinders 64a, 74a, respectively, and the arms 65, 75 are rotated to the upper standby position. This causes the arms 65, 75 to return to their initial positions (ST22). The picking device 50 shown in FIG. 1 returns to the standby position before moving to hold the baggage 5 (ST23), and the conveyance of the baggage 5 on the upstream conveyance path 1a ends (ST24).

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the conveyors 30 for each size on the downstream conveyance path 1b sequentially convey the transferred baggage 5 to the right. The baggage 5 is stopped by contacting the stopper 30a. Alternatively, the baggage 5 remains on the size-specific conveyor 30 due to the size-specific conveyor 30 stopping. The standby conveyor 36 moves in front of the distribution conveyors 31 to 34 on which baggage 5 of a size to be transported suitable for loading into the container 3 is placed. A stopper 30a provided on the size-specific conveyor 30 with the standby conveyor 36 moving forward rotates from the closed position to the open position. After the stopper 30a rotates to the open position, the size-specific conveyor 30 and the standby conveyor 36 are driven, and the baggage 5 is conveyed to the standby conveyor 36.

As shown in FIG. 2, the baggage 5 placed on the standby conveyor 36 moves until it comes into contact with the stopper 36a in the closed position, then stops and enters the standby state. As shown in FIG. 1, the standby conveyor 36 moves in parallel in the left-right direction to a loading standby position where the baggage 5 is delivered to the loading robot 40. When the standby conveyor 36 moves to the loading standby position, the stopper 36a shown in FIG. 2 rotates from the closed position to the downward open position. The baggage 5 on the waiting conveyor 36 is held by a loading robot 40 and loaded into the container 3.

The loading operation is repeated for each distribution conveyor 31 to 34, and baggage 5 of all sizes is loaded into the container 3. During this time, the baggage 5 is distributed from the conveyor 2 to the size-based conveyor 30 by the picking device 50. When the loading of the baggage 5 into the container 3 is completed, the container 3 is transported to the aircraft 4 by a towing vehicle, and the container 3 is carried into the cargo hold 4a of the aircraft 4. With the above steps, the conveyance of the baggage 5 from the boarding procedure counter to the cargo hold 4a of the aircraft 4 is completed.

As described above, the picking device 50 includes a base 53, a suction mechanism 55, and a pair of clamp mechanisms 60, as shown in FIG. The suction mechanism 55 is provided on the base 53 and uses negative pressure to removably hold the baggage 5. A pair of clamp mechanisms 60 are movably mounted on the base 53 on both sides of the suction mechanism 55. The pair of clamp mechanisms 60 are moved relative to the base 53 by moving mechanisms 62 and 72. Contact detection means 66 and 76 are provided in the pair of clamp mechanisms 60. The contact detection means 66 and 76 detect contact with the baggage 5. A motor control circuit 25 is provided that detects the positions of the pair of clamp mechanisms 60 based on control values of servo motors 63a and 73a. The article size determination circuit 26 determines the size of the baggage 5 based on a detection signal from the motor control circuit 25 when the pair of clamp mechanisms 60 clamp and stop the baggage 5.

Therefore, the pair of clamp mechanisms 60 serve two functions. First, the size of the baggage 5 is determined from the positions of the pair of clamp mechanisms 60. Since the pair of clamp mechanisms 60 are in direct contact with both sides of the baggage 5, the size of the baggage 5 can be calculated more accurately. Second, the pair of clamp mechanisms 60 hold the baggage 5 in cooperation with the suction mechanism 55. Since the pair of clamp mechanisms 60 are located on both sides of the suction mechanism 55, the baggage 5 is held stably. Since the operation of the pair of clamp mechanisms 60 to hold the baggage 5 and the operation to measure the baggage 5 are performed almost simultaneously, the size of the baggage 5 can be calculated quickly.

As shown in FIG. 3, the pair of clamp mechanisms 60 includes arms 65, 75 and fall prevention pieces 65b, 75b. Arms 65, 75 are each movably or rotatably connected to base 53. The fall prevention pieces 65b, 75b extend from the lower portions of the arms 65, 75 and support the baggage 5 from below. Therefore, the baggage 5 is sandwiched from both sides by the pair of clamp mechanisms 60, and is supported from below by the fall prevention pieces 65b, 75b. As a result, even if the baggage 5 comes off the suction mechanism 55 during transfer, for example, the fall prevention pieces 65b, 75b can prevent the baggage 5 from falling.

As shown in FIG. 3, arms 65 and 75 are moved in the horizontal direction relative to base 53 by horizontal movement mechanisms 63 and 73. Arms 65 and 75 are rotated in the vertical direction by vertical rotation mechanisms 64 and 74 relative to horizontal movement mechanisms 63 and 73. Therefore, by horizontally moving the arms 65 and 75 so as to sandwich the baggage 5, the horizontal size of the baggage 5 can be accurately calculated. Furthermore, the arms 65 and 75 are rotated so that the fall prevention pieces 65b and 75b are positioned below the baggage 5. Thereby, the baggage 5 supported by the arms 65 and 75 can be stably held.

As shown in FIG. 3, the suction mechanism 55 has a suction portion 56 that faces downward so as to support the upper surface of the baggage 5. Therefore, the upper surface of the baggage 5 is suctioned by the suction mechanism 55, and the baggage 5 is supported from below by the pair of clamp mechanisms 60. This allows the baggage 5 to be held securely. For example, when the baggage 5 is lifted by the suction mechanism 55, the fall prevention pieces 65b, 75b at the ends of the arms 65, 75 can be inserted into the gap formed below the baggage 5.

As shown in FIG. 3, the suction mechanism 55 has a suction section 56 in which an opening 56a opening toward the baggage 5 is formed. The opening 56a is connected to a suction device 57 that sucks air through a pipe 56c. An elastic member 56b is provided around the opening 56a. Therefore, the suction section 56 suctions the baggage 5 via the elastic member 56b. The elastic member 56b maintains suction force by filling the gap between the suction portion 56 and the baggage 5. This maintains the negative pressure in the opening 56a and increases the suction performance of the suction mechanism 55.

As shown in FIG. 3, the picking device 50 includes moving mechanisms 62 and 72 that move the pair of clamp mechanisms 60 independently, and contact detection means 66 and 76 provided in each of the pair of clamp mechanisms 60. Therefore, the pair of clamp mechanisms 60 independently move and come into contact with the baggage 5 held by the suction mechanism 55. Then, the positions at which the pair of clamp mechanisms 60 come into contact with the baggage 5 are individually detected by the motor control circuit 25. Therefore, even if there is a deviation between the center position of the suction mechanism 55 and the center position of the baggage 5, each of the pair of clamp mechanisms 60 is detected at a position corresponding to the deviation. This allows the size of the baggage 5 to be calculated accurately.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the transport device 1 includes a picking device 50. As shown in FIGS. Baggage 5 is conveyed in a loop by the conveyor 2. Image data of the baggage 5 on the conveyor 2 is acquired by the conveyance state recognition means 7. The size of the article is recognized by the conveyance state recognition means 7 based on the image data. The baggage 5 on the conveyor 2 is transferred by the picking device 50 to one of the plurality of size-based conveyors 30 and held there. Each size conveyor 30 has a detection sensor 30b that detects baggage 5 at its upstream end to detect whether it is full of baggage. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 10, the picking device 50 transfers the baggage 5 to the transfer destination determined by the transfer destination determination circuit 28. The picking device 50 holds the baggage 5 on the conveyor 2 based on the determination of the holding determination circuit 21. The determination by the holding determination circuit 21 is based on the size of the baggage 5 obtained by the conveyance state recognition means 7 and the vacancy information of the size-specific conveyor 30 obtained by the detection sensor 30b. The picking device 50 transfers the baggage 5 to any one selected conveyor of the plurality of size-based conveyors 30 based on the determination of the conveyor determination circuit 27. The determination by the conveyor determining circuit 27 is based on the size of the baggage 5 determined by the article size determining circuit 26. When the detection sensor 30b detects that the selected conveyor is full, the transfer destination determination circuit 28 determines that the baggage 5 should be transferred to the return conveyor 9 by the picking device 50. The transfer destination determining circuit 28 determines to transfer the baggage 5 to the selected conveyor if the selected conveyor is not full.

Therefore, if the selection conveyor is not full, the picking device 50 transfers the baggage 5 to the selection conveyor. In this case, it may be determined that the size-based conveyor 30 is different from the selected conveyor based on the exact size of the baggage 5 determined by the article size determination circuit 26. Furthermore, the other size-specific conveyor 30 may be full. By returning the baggage 5 from the picking device 50 to the conveyor 2 via the return conveyor 9, it is possible to prevent the picking device 50 from stopping while holding the baggage 5 without being able to transfer it to the size-based conveyor 30. This will make the transfer process smoother. There are cases where the baggage 5 comes off from the suction mechanism 55 during the transfer and cannot be stably transferred to the size-based conveyor 30. In this case, by returning the baggage 5 from the picking device 50 to the conveyor 2 via the return conveyor 9, damage to the baggage 5 due to falling can be prevented.

Various changes can be made to the transport device 1 described above. For example, an aircraft passenger's suitcase with casters (baggage 5) is exemplified as an article to be transported. Instead of a suitcase, a cardboard box, a plastic case, or the like to which a tag extending from the article is attached may be used as the object to be transported. This example shows a transport route in which passenger baggage 5 is loaded in close contact with a container 3 in an airport terminal building and is loaded into a cargo hold 4a of an aircraft 4. Instead of this, the conveyance device may be applied, for example, on a conveyance route at a collection point for parcels to be delivered.

The suction mechanism 55 that suctions the baggage 5 from above is illustrated. Instead of this, for example, a suction mechanism that suctions the article from the side may be used. The picking device 50 has a pair of vertical rotation mechanisms 64 and 74 for the clamp mechanism 60. Alternatively, the picking device 50 may include a rotation mechanism that rotates the pair of clamp mechanisms in the front and back or left and right directions with respect to the base. The picking device 50 has a pair of clamp mechanisms 60. Alternatively, the picking device 50 may include, for example, two pairs of clamp mechanisms, or may include, for example, three clamp mechanisms.

The contact detection means 66, 76 include a photosensor and a sensor dog. Alternatively, the contact detection means may be a mechanism including, for example, a reed switch and a magnet. The picking device 50 has a motor control circuit 25 that controls servo motors 63a and 73a as a clamp position detection means. Alternatively, the picking device 50 may include a wire encoder as the clamp position detection means, for example, for measuring the moving distance between the pair of clamp mechanisms 60 and the base 53.

1... Conveyance device (goods conveyance system), 1a... Upstream conveyance route, 1b... Downstream conveyance route 2... Conveyor (make conveyor)
3... Container 4... Aircraft, 4a... Cargo compartment 5... Baggage (goods), 5a... Center of gravity (of baggage) 6... Transport frame, 6a... Rear frame, 6b... Front frame, 6c... Lateral movement mechanism 6d, 6e... Left and right frame, 6f... Back and forth movement mechanism 6g... Lifting mechanism, 6h... Holding section, 6i... Slider 7... Transport state recognition means (camera, size recognition means, posture recognition means)
8...Standby state recognition means 9...Return conveyor 20...Control board, 21...Holding determination circuit, 22...Movement control circuit, 23...Swivel control circuit 24...Cylinder control circuit, 25...Motor control circuit (clamp position detection means)
26...Article size determination circuit, 27...Conveyor determination circuit, 28...Transfer destination determination circuit 30...Size-specific conveyor (size-specific conveyance route), 30a...Stopper, 30b...Detection sensors 31-34...Distribution conveyor 36...Standby conveyor (Traversa)
40...Loading robot (loading device), 45...Table 50...Picking device 51...Support part, 51a...Piping, 51b...Adjustment valve 52...Swivel mechanism 53...Base 55...Suction mechanism 56...Suction part, 56a...Opening part, 56b...Elastic member, 56c...Piping 57...Suction device 60...Clamp mechanism 61...First clamp mechanism, 61a...Arm support portion 62...Movement mechanism 63...Horizontal movement mechanism, 63a...Servo motor, 63b...Drive side pulley 63c... Timing belt, 63d... Driven pulley, 63e... Screw shaft, 63f... Nut 63g... Slide bearing 64... Vertical rotation mechanism, 64a... Air cylinder, 64b... Piston shaft 64c... Arm connection part, 64d... Cylinder support part, 64e... Switching valve 65... Arm, 65a... Arm rotation shaft, 65b... Fall prevention piece, 65c... Elastic member 66... Contact detection means, 66a... Detection plate, 66b... Elastic member 66c... Plate rotation shaft, 66d... Compression coil spring 66e... Photo sensor, 66f... Light emitting part, 66g... Light receiving part, 66h... Sensor dog 71... Second clamp mechanism, 71a... Arm support part 72... Movement mechanism 73... Horizontal movement mechanism, 73a... Servo motor, 73b... Drive side pulley 73c... Timing belt, 73d... Driven pulley, 73e... Screw shaft, 73f... Nut 73g... Slide bearing 74... Vertical rotation mechanism, 74a... Air cylinder, 74b... Piston shaft 74c... Arm connection part, 74d... Cylinder support part, 74e... Switching valve 75...Arm, 75a...Arm rotation shaft, 75b...Fall prevention piece, 75c...Elastic member 76...Contact detection means 76a...Detection plate, 76b...Elastic member, 76c...Plate rotation shaft

Claims (3)

A picking device that holds and transfers articles,
The base and
an adsorption mechanism that is provided on the base and uses negative pressure to removably hold the article;
a pair of clamp mechanisms movably attached to the base on both sides of the suction mechanism;
a moving mechanism that moves the pair of clamp mechanisms relative to the base;
an arm provided on each of the pair of clamp mechanisms and movably or rotatably connected to the base;
a contact detection means provided on at least one of the pair of clamp mechanisms to detect contact with the article;
Clamp position detection means for detecting the positions of the pair of clamp mechanisms;
The size of the article is determined based on a detection signal from the clamp position detection means when the contact detection means detects contact with the article and the pair of clamp mechanisms clamp and stop the article. has an article size determination circuit;
The contact detection means includes a contact member movably provided with respect to the arm and in contact with the article, a detected portion provided on the contact member , and a contact member provided on the arm with respect to the arm. A picking device including a sensor that detects contact between the contact member and the article by detecting movement without contacting the detected portion. The picking device according to claim 1,
The pair of clamp mechanisms includes a fall prevention piece extending from a lower part of the arm to support the article from below. The picking device according to claim 2,
The moving mechanism includes a horizontal moving mechanism that moves the arm horizontally relative to the base, and a vertical rotating mechanism that rotates the arm vertically relative to the horizontal moving mechanism.

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