JP7501313B2 - Luggage loading device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a luggage loading device.

A conventional luggage loading device is known, for example, from the technology described in Patent Document 1. In the luggage loading device described in Patent Document 1, a robot loads luggage into a container.

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 5-246546

However, when loading baggage into a container from the side, depending on the container's structure, there may be areas inside the container that the robot hand cannot reach. In this case, the baggage cannot be loaded.

The objective of the present invention is to provide a cargo loading device that can load cargo in areas of a container that cannot be reached by a robot hand.

One aspect of the present invention is a luggage loading device that loads rectangular prism-shaped luggage into a container from the side of the container, and includes a stowage robot having an L-shaped robot hand that holds the luggage, a drive unit that moves the robot hand in three axial directions and rotates the robot hand about three axes, and a control unit that executes a first stowage control process that controls the drive unit to move the robot hand holding the luggage to either the left or right side of a stowage position in the container, and then controls the drive unit to rotate the robot hand in a direction such that the luggage held by the robot hand rolls toward the stowage position.

In this type of luggage stowage device, the robot hand holding the luggage first moves to either the left or right side of the stowage position inside the container. The luggage held by the robot hand then rotates in a rolling direction toward the stowage position. As a result, the luggage detaches from the robot hand and is placed at the stowage position while rolling. Therefore, even if the robot hand cannot reach the stowage position, the luggage will be placed at the stowage position. This makes it possible to stow luggage in areas inside the container that the robot hand cannot reach.

A cutout portion having a structure in which a lower corner of the container is cut out is provided on one of the left and right sides of the container, and a shelf on which cargo is placed is arranged in the area in the container corresponding to the cutout portion, and the control unit may execute a first stowage control process when cargo is stowed in the area in the container corresponding to the cutout portion. In this configuration, even if the robot hand cannot reach the area in the container corresponding to the cutout portion, cargo can be reliably stowed in the area in the container corresponding to the cutout portion.

The robot hand has a conveyor unit that moves the luggage as it is placed on it, and the control unit may execute a second stowage control process in which, when loading luggage in an area in the container other than the area corresponding to the cutout, the drive unit controls the robot hand holding the luggage to move to just before the stowage position in the container, and then controls the conveyor unit to drive in a direction in which the luggage held by the robot hand moves toward the stowage position. In this configuration, when loading luggage in an area in the container other than the area corresponding to the cutout, the robot hand moves to just before the stowage position in the container, and then the conveyor unit moves the luggage to the stowage position, so that the luggage can be loaded in a space-efficient manner in the left-right direction of the container.

Before executing the first stowage control process or the second stowage control process, the control unit may execute a holding control process that controls the conveyor unit to drive in a direction to hold the luggage on the robot hand. In such a configuration, when the luggage is held on the robot hand, the luggage is moved by the conveyor unit, making it easy for the robot hand to hold the luggage.

The drive unit has a first drive unit that moves the robot hand in three axial directions and a second drive unit that rotates the robot hand around three axes, and when executing the first stowage control process, the control unit may control the first drive unit to move the robot hand holding the cargo to one of the left and right sides of the stowage position in the container, and then control the second drive unit to rotate the robot hand in a direction in which the cargo held by the robot hand rolls toward the stowage position. In this configuration, the operation of moving the robot hand in three axial directions and the operation of rotating the robot hand around three axes are performed separately. Therefore, the structure of the drive unit that moves and rotates the robot hand can be simplified.

The present invention makes it possible to load cargo into areas of a container that cannot be reached by a robotic hand.

1 is a schematic diagram showing a luggage stowage device according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the appearance of the robot hand shown in FIG. 1 . 3 is a perspective view showing how the robot hand shown in FIG. 2 holds baggage in a horizontal and vertical position. FIG. FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing the driving directions of the first conveyor section and the second conveyor section shown in FIG. 2 . FIG. 2 is a control system configuration diagram of the luggage loading device shown in FIG. 1 . FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a plurality of storage areas set up within a container, together with an example of a loading order of baggage. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an address set in a container together with the accommodation area. 3 is a flowchart showing details of a stowage control process executed by a stowage control unit shown in FIG. 2 . 3 is a side view showing how the baggage held by the robot hand shown in FIG. 2 is positioned relative to the first conveyor section and the second conveyor section by a wall section. FIG. FIG. 3 is a schematic side view showing the stowage of baggage in an auxiliary storage area within the container shown in FIG. 2;

The following describes in detail an embodiment of the present invention with reference to the drawings.

Figure 1 is a schematic diagram showing a luggage loading device according to one embodiment of the present invention. In Figure 1, the luggage loading device 1 of this embodiment is installed, for example, in a loading area in the back yard of an airport. The luggage loading device 1 is a device that automatically loads passengers' baggage 3 (luggage) into a container 2 to be loaded onto an aircraft.

The baggage 3 loaded into the container 2 is a suitcase in the shape of a rectangular parallelepiped. Note that the term "rectangular parallelepiped" here does not only refer to a perfect rectangular parallelepiped, but also includes an approximately rectangular parallelepiped with chamfered corners, for example. The baggage 3 has two main surfaces 3a, a top surface 3b, a bottom surface 3c, and two side surfaces 3d. A handle 31 is provided on the top surface 3b. A number of casters 32 are provided on the bottom surface 3c.

The container 2 is placed on multiple (here, two) trolleys 4 that are towed by a towing tractor (not shown). Couplers 4a are provided at the front and rear ends of the trolleys 4. Each trolley 4 is connected to the other trolleys 4 by the couplers 4a.

The luggage loading device 1 loads baggage 3 into two containers 2 at the same time. A door (not shown) is provided on one side of the container 2. The luggage loading device 1 loads baggage 3 into the container 2 from the side of the container 2 with the door of the container 2 open. The container 2 located in front of the towing tractor is referred to as the front container 2A, and the container 2 located behind the towing tractor is referred to as the rear container 2B.

The luggage loading device 1 includes a main conveyor 5, a sorting conveyor 6, an evacuation conveyor 7, a luggage receiving conveyor 8, a pusher 9, a turntable 10, a pusher 11, a buffer conveyor 12, a pusher 13, a pusher 14, and a loading robot 15.

The main conveyor 5 transports the baggage 3 received from the airport side conveyor 16 toward the container 2. The airport side conveyor 16 transports the baggage 3 from the check-in counter installed in the airport terminal building to a loading area in the back yard. The main conveyor 5 is composed of multiple (here, five) forwarding conveyors 17 that forward the baggage 3 one by one.

The sorting conveyor 6 is disposed downstream of the main conveyor 5. The sorting conveyor 6 sends out baggage 3 that is not to be stowed and cannot be stowed into the container 2 by the stowage robot 15 (described later), i.e., baggage 3 other than suitcases, toward the evacuation conveyor 7. The evacuation conveyor 7 transports the baggage 3 that is not to be stowed to a designated location.

The receiving conveyor 8 is arranged to branch off from the evacuation conveyor 7 downstream of the sorting conveyor 6. The receiving conveyor 8 carries baggage 3 (suitcases) to be loaded into the container 2 by the loading robot 15. The pusher 9 pushes and moves the baggage 3 to be loaded from the sorting conveyor 6 toward the receiving conveyor 8.

The turntable 10 is located downstream of the receiving conveyor 8. The baggage 3 to be loaded is placed on the turntable 10. The pusher 11 pushes the baggage 3 to be loaded from the receiving conveyor 8 toward the turntable 10 to move it.

The buffer conveyor 12 is disposed downstream of the turntable 10. The baggage 3 to be stowed is placed on the buffer conveyor 12. A positioning wall 18 is provided at the container 2 side end of the buffer conveyor 12. The container 2 side end of the buffer conveyor 12 is one end of the buffer conveyor 12 in a direction perpendicular to the arrangement direction of the turntable 10 and the buffer conveyor 12. The pusher 13 pushes and moves the baggage 3 to be stowed from the turntable 10 toward the buffer conveyor 12.

The pusher 14 pushes the baggage 3 to be loaded that is placed on the buffer conveyor 12 against the wall 18. The pusher 14 and the wall 18 position the baggage 3 placed on the buffer conveyor 12 in a direction perpendicular to the arrangement direction of the turntable 10 and the buffer conveyor 12.

The stowage robot 15 is a robot that stows baggage 3 to be stowed into a container 2. The stowage robot 15 has a traveling cart 19 and a robot arm 20 attached to the traveling cart 19.

The traveling cart 19 travels along rails 21 that extend parallel to the arrangement direction of each container 2. The rails 21 are installed on the front side (door side) of each container 2. The robot arm 20 is movable in three axial directions and can rotate around three axes (described later). An L-shaped robot hand 22 is provided at the tip of the robot arm 20 to hold the baggage 3 to be stowed that is placed on the buffer conveyor 12.

Figure 2 is a perspective view showing the appearance of the robot hand 22. In Figure 2, the robot hand 22 has a first conveyor section 23 and a second conveyor section 24 arranged in an L-shape with respect to the first conveyor section 23. The second conveyor section 24 is vertically erected on one side edge in the width direction of the first conveyor section 23 via a connecting section 25. In other words, the first conveyor section 23 and the second conveyor section 24 are arranged in an L-shape when viewed from the front side of the robot hand 22. Thin conveyors are used as the first conveyor section 23 and the second conveyor section 24.

The first conveyor section 23 is a horizontal conveyor section on which the baggage 3 is placed and which moves the baggage 3. The first conveyor section 23 engages with the main surface 3a of the baggage 3. The second conveyor section 24 is a vertical conveyor section on which the baggage 3 is placed and which moves the baggage 3. The second conveyor section 24 engages with the side surface 3d of the baggage 3.

The width dimension W1 of the first conveyor section 23 is larger than the width dimension W2 of the second conveyor section 24. The width dimension W1 of the first conveyor section 23 is smaller than, for example, the horizontal dimension of a large-sized piece of baggage 3A, which will be described later. The width dimension W2 of the second conveyor section 24 is smaller than, for example, the vertical dimension of a large-sized piece of baggage 3A. This allows the robot hand 22 to be made more compact.

A storage case 26 is provided at the base end of the robot hand 22. The base end of the robot hand 22 is the end of the robot hand 22 that faces the robot arm 20. The storage case 26 is provided across the first conveyor section 23 and the second conveyor section 24.

The storage case 26 contains a motor roller 27 that drives the first conveyor section 23, a motor roller 28 that drives the second conveyor section 24, and a control board 29 that controls the motor rollers 27, 28 to control the first conveyor section 23 and the second conveyor section 24.

The storage case 26 has a wall portion 30 that positions the baggage 3 relative to the first conveyor section 23 and the second conveyor section 24 in the driving direction (longitudinal direction) of the first conveyor section 23 and the second conveyor section 24. The wall portion 30 is provided on the base end side of the robot hand 22.

When the robot hand 22 holds the baggage 3, as shown in FIG. 3(a), the baggage 3 is placed horizontally on the first conveyor section 23. When the baggage 3 is placed horizontally, the two main surfaces 3a of the baggage 3 are positioned one above the other. At this time, the baggage 3 is placed on the first conveyor section 23 so that the handle 31 faces the wall section 30.

On the other hand, when the baggage 3 held by the robot hand 22 is loaded into the container 2, the baggage 3 is placed horizontally on the first conveyor section 23 as shown in FIG. 3(a), or placed vertically on the second conveyor section 24 as shown in FIG. 3(b). When the baggage 3 is placed vertically, the two sides 3d of the baggage 3 are positioned one above the other. In this case too, the baggage 3 is placed on the second conveyor section 24 so that the handle 31 faces the wall section 30.

When the robot hand 22 holds the baggage 3, the first conveyor section 23 and the second conveyor section 24 are driven toward the wall section 30 (the base end side of the robot hand 22) as shown in FIG. 4(a). In this case, the baggage 3 moves toward the wall section 30.

When the baggage 3 held by the robot hand 22 is to be loaded into the container 2, the first conveyor section 23 and the second conveyor section 24 are driven to the opposite side of the wall section 30 (the tip side of the robot hand 22) as shown in FIG. 4(b). In this case, the baggage 3 moves away from the wall section 30.

As shown in FIG. 5, the stowage robot 15 has a first drive unit 33, a second drive unit 34, and a control board 35. The first drive unit 33 is a drive unit that moves the robot hand 22 in three axial directions (X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis). The second drive unit 34 is a drive unit that rotates the robot hand 22 around three axes (X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis). The control board 35 controls the first drive unit 33 and the second drive unit 34.

The X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis are expressed in a robot coordinate system with the origin at a specified position of the stowage robot 15, as shown in FIG. 1. The specified position is, for example, the base end position of the robot arm 20. The X-axis direction corresponds to the front-to-rear direction of the stowage robot 15. The front side of the stowage robot 15 is the side to which the robot arm 20 faces. The Y-axis direction corresponds to the left-to-right direction of the stowage robot 15. The Z-axis direction corresponds to the up-down direction (height direction) of the stowage robot 15.

As shown in FIG. 5, the luggage loading device 1 also includes an upstream camera 36, a downstream camera 37, a loading processing unit 38, and a control panel 39.

The upstream camera 36 is disposed above the forward conveyor 17, which is located at the most upstream side of the main conveyor 5. The upstream camera 36 captures images of the baggage 3 placed on the main conveyor 5, and obtains captured images of the baggage 3. The downstream camera 37 is disposed above the turntable 10. The downstream camera 37 captures images of the baggage 3 placed on the turntable 10, and obtains captured images of the baggage 3.

The stowage processing unit 38 is composed of a CPU, RAM, ROM, an input/output interface, etc. The stowage processing unit 38 acquires images of the baggage 3 taken by the upstream camera 36 and the downstream camera 37, detects the baggage 3 based on the images of the baggage 3, and outputs the detection data of the baggage 3 and a control signal to stow the baggage 3 in the container 2 to the control panel 39.

The control panel 39 is composed of a CPU, RAM, ROM, an input/output interface, etc. The control panel 39 executes predetermined processing based on the detection data and control signals from the stowage processing unit 38, controls the pushers 9, 11, turntable 10, and pushers 13, 14 to transport the baggage 3 toward the stowage robot 15, and controls the buffer conveyor 12 and the stowage robot 15 to stow the baggage 3 in the container 2.

The stowage processing unit 38 has a first baggage detection unit 41, a second baggage detection unit 42, and a stowage calculation unit 43.

The first baggage detection unit 41 detects the type of baggage 3 transported by the main conveyor 5 based on the captured image of the baggage 3 acquired by the upstream camera 36, and sends the detection data to the control panel 39. The first baggage detection unit 41 detects the type of baggage 3 in cooperation with the upstream camera 36.

The second baggage detection unit 42 detects the dimensions and orientation of the baggage 3 placed on the turntable 10 based on the captured image of the baggage 3 acquired by the downstream camera 37, and sends the detection data to the control panel 39. The second baggage detection unit 42 detects the dimensions and orientation of the baggage 3 in cooperation with the downstream camera 37.

The loading calculation unit 43 calculates a control signal for loading the baggage 3 into the container 2 based on the dimensions of the baggage 3 detected by the second baggage detection unit 42, and sends the control signal to the control panel 39. The calculation process by the loading calculation unit 43 will be described in detail later.

The control panel 39 has a movement control unit 44, a rotation control unit 45, a position control unit 46, and a stacking control unit 47.

The movement control unit 44 determines whether the baggage 3 is a loading target (suitcase) based on the detection data of the first baggage detection unit 41, and when the baggage 3 is a loading target, controls the pushers 9 and 11 to move the baggage 3 to the turntable 10.

The rotation control unit 45 controls the turntable 10 so that the orientation of the baggage 3 placed on the turntable 10 is constant, based on the orientation of the baggage 3 detected by the second baggage detection unit 42. At this time, the rotation control unit 45 determines the rotation direction and amount of rotation of the turntable 10 so that the handle 31 of the baggage 3 faces the downstream side of the turntable 10 (the buffer conveyor 12 side), and controls the turntable 10 according to the rotation direction and amount of rotation.

The position control unit 46 controls the turntable 10 so that the orientation of the baggage 3 is constant, and then controls the pushers 13 and 14 so that the baggage 3 is positioned relative to the wall 18 on the buffer conveyor 12.

The stacking control unit 47 controls the buffer conveyor 12 to drive in response to a control signal from the stacking calculation unit 43 of the stacking processing unit 38, and also controls the first conveyor unit 23, the second conveyor unit 24, the first drive unit 33, and the second drive unit 34 via the control boards 29 and 35.

The method for loading baggage 3 into the container 2 using the baggage loading device 1 configured as described above will now be described in detail.

As shown in FIG. 6, the baggage 3 is transported randomly by the main conveyor 5 regardless of size. The baggage 3 is then loaded into the front container 2A and the rear container 2B in the order of transport.

When viewed from the door side (not shown) of the container 2, a cutout 2f is provided on one of the left and right sides (here, the left side) of the container 2. The cutout 2f has a tapered structure in which a lower corner of the container 2 is cut out. Inside the container 2, multiple storage areas (here, three) are set up according to the dimensions of the baggage 3.

Specifically, within the front container 2A, there are defined a rear storage area Sa1 located at the rear side of the main area of the front container 2A, a front storage area Sa2 located at the front side of the main area of the front container 2A, and an auxiliary storage area Sa3 located in the area corresponding to the cutout 2f in the front container 2A. The main area of the front container 2A is the area excluding the area corresponding to the cutout 2f in the front container 2A. In the auxiliary storage area Sa3, shelves 50 on which baggage 3 is placed are arranged (see FIG. 10).

Large-sized baggage 3A is loaded in the rear storage area Sa1. Medium-sized baggage 3B is loaded in the front storage area Sa2. Small-sized baggage 3C is mainly loaded in the auxiliary storage area Sa3. Here, small-sized baggage 3C and large-sized baggage 3A are loaded in the auxiliary storage area Sa3.

Within the rear container 2B, there are a rear storage area Sb1 located at the rear side of the main area of the rear container 2B, a front storage area Sb2 located at the front side of the main area of the rear container 2B, and an auxiliary storage area Sb3 located in the area corresponding to the cutout 2f in the rear container 2B. The main area of the rear container 2B is the area excluding the area corresponding to the cutout 2f in the rear container 2B. In the auxiliary storage area Sb3, a shelf 50 on which baggage 3 is placed is arranged (see FIG. 10).

Medium-sized baggage 3B is loaded in the rear storage area Sb1. Large-sized baggage 3A is loaded in the front storage area Sb2. Small-sized baggage 3C is mainly loaded in the auxiliary storage area Sb3. Here, small-sized baggage 3C and large-sized baggage 3A are loaded in the auxiliary storage area Sb3.

The door of the container 2 (mentioned above) is provided in the main area of the container 2, and is not provided in the area corresponding to the cutout portion 2f in the container 2. Therefore, the robot arm 20 of the stowage robot 15 can enter the rear storage area Sa1 and the front storage area Sa2 of the front container 2A and the rear storage area Sb1 and the front storage area Sb2 of the rear container 2B, but cannot enter the auxiliary storage area Sa3 of the front container 2A or the auxiliary storage area Sb3 of the rear container 2B.

As shown in FIG. 7, addresses for specifying the stowage positions of baggage 3 are preset inside the container 2. Inside the container 2, addresses are set in order from bottom to top and from back to front. In addition, addresses are set in the back storage area Sa1 and front storage area Sa2 of the front container 2A from the right side (opposite the auxiliary storage area Sa3) to the left side (auxiliary storage area Sa3 side). In the back storage area Sb1 and front storage area Sb2 of the rear container 2B, addresses are set in order from the right side (opposite the auxiliary storage area Sb3) to the left side (auxiliary storage area Sb3 side).

Large-sized baggage 3A is loaded in address order in the rear storage area Sa1 of the front container 2A and the front storage area Sb2 of the rear container 2B. Medium-sized baggage 3B is loaded in address order in the rear storage area Sb1 of the rear container 2B and the front storage area Sa2 of the front container 2A. Small-sized baggage 3C is loaded in address order in the auxiliary storage area Sa3 of the front container 2A and the auxiliary storage area Sb3 of the rear container 2B.

When loading baggage 3 into the area corresponding to the notch 2f in the container 2, the stowage calculation section 43 of the stowage processing unit 38 and the stowage control section 47 of the control panel 39 execute a first stowage control process that controls the first drive section 33 to move the robot hand 22 holding the baggage 3 to one of the left and right sides (here, the right side) of the stowage position in the container 2, and then controls the second drive section 34 to rotate the robot hand 22 in a direction in which the baggage 3 held by the robot hand 22 rolls toward the stowage position.

In addition, when the baggage 3 is to be stowed in an area within the container 2 excluding the area corresponding to the cutout portion 2f , the stowage calculation unit 43 and the stowage control unit 47 execute a second stowage control process in which they control the first drive unit 33 to move the robot hand 22 holding the baggage 3 to just before the stowage position within the container 2, and then control the first conveyor unit 23 and the second conveyor unit 24 to be driven in a direction in which the baggage 3 held by the robot hand 22 moves toward the stowage position.

In addition, before executing the first stowage control process or the second stowage control process, the stowage calculation unit 43 and the stowage control unit 47 execute a holding control process that controls the driving of the first conveyor unit 23 and the second conveyor unit 24 in a direction to hold the baggage 3 on the robot hand 22.

The stowage calculation unit 43 and the stowage control unit 47 cooperate with the control boards 29 and 35 to form a control unit that executes the first stowage control process, the second stowage control process, and the holding control process.

Figure 8 is a flowchart showing the details of the procedure for the stowage calculation process executed by the stowage calculation unit 43. This process shows the procedure for the calculation process for each piece of baggage 3.

When this process is being performed, the robot hand 22 of the stowage robot 15 is in a holding position where it holds the baggage 3 placed on the buffer conveyor 12. The holding position is a position on the downstream side of the buffer conveyor 12 where the baggage 3 can be handed over from the buffer conveyor 12 to the first conveyor section 23 of the robot hand 22. At this time, the first conveyor section 23 may be positioned so as to be inclined slightly downward toward the wall section 30.

When the robot hand 22 is in the holding position, it is in an initial state in which it can receive baggage 3 from the buffer conveyor 12. In addition, the first conveyor section 23 and the second conveyor section 24 of the robot hand 22 are in a stopped state.

In FIG. 8, the stacking calculation unit 43 first sends a control signal to the stacking control unit 47 to drive the buffer conveyor 12 for a specified time (step S101). The stacking calculation unit 43 also sends a control signal to the stacking control unit 47 to simultaneously drive the first conveyor unit 23 and the second conveyor unit 24 toward the wall unit 30 for a specified time (step S102). As a result, the buffer conveyor 12 is driven and the first conveyor unit 23 and the second conveyor unit 24 are driven toward the wall unit 30, so that the baggage 3 is transferred from the buffer conveyor 12 to the first conveyor unit 23.

Then, the stacking calculation unit 43 sends a control signal to the stacking control unit 47 to rotate the robot hand 22 around the Y axis so that the wall portion 30 is positioned on the lower side, as shown in FIG. 9 (step S103). As a result, the robot hand 22 rotates around the Y axis, and the robot hand 22 is tilted so that the wall portion 30 is positioned on the lower side.

Then, the stowage calculation unit 43 sends a control signal to the stowage control unit 47 to rotate the robot hand 22 around the X-axis so that the baggage 3 placed on the first conveyor unit 23 comes into contact with the second conveyor unit 24 (step S104). As a result, the robot hand 22 rotates around the X-axis, and the baggage 3 comes into contact with the second conveyor unit 24.

Then, the stowage calculation unit 43 determines whether the storage area in which the baggage 3 is to be stowed is the auxiliary storage area Sa3 of the front container 2A and the auxiliary storage area Sb3 of the rear container 2B (step S105).

When the stowage calculation unit 43 determines that the storage area in which the baggage 3 is to be stowed is not the auxiliary storage area Sa3 or Sb3, it sends a control signal to the stowage control unit 47 to move the robot hand 22 to just before the stowage position of the baggage 3 (step S106). As a result, the robot hand 22 moves to just before the stowage position of the baggage 3.

Then, the stowage calculation unit 43 judges whether the stowage position of the baggage 3 corresponds to an address where the baggage 3 is stowed in a horizontal state (step S107). When the stowage calculation unit 43 judges that the stowage position of the baggage 3 corresponds to an address where the baggage 3 is stowed in a horizontal state, it sends a control signal to the stowage control unit 47 to drive the first conveyor unit 23 and the second conveyor unit 24 simultaneously to the opposite side of the wall unit 30 for a specified time (step S108). As a result, the baggage 3 is transferred in a horizontal state from the first conveyor unit 23 to the stowage position inside the container 2.

When the stowage calculation unit 43 determines that the stowage position of the baggage 3 does not correspond to an address where the baggage 3 is stowed in a horizontal state, in other words, that the stowage position of the baggage 3 corresponds to an address where the baggage 3 is stowed in a vertical state, it sends a control signal to the stowage control unit 47 to rotate the robot hand 22 90 degrees around the X axis (step S109). This changes the posture of the robot hand 22 from a horizontal state to a vertical state. Then, the stowage calculation unit 43 executes the above step S108. As a result, the baggage 3 is transferred in a vertical state from the first conveyor unit 23 to the stowage position inside the container 2.

When the stowage calculation unit 43 determines in step S105 that the storage area in which the baggage 3 is to be stowed is the auxiliary storage area Sa3, Sb3, it sends a control signal to the stowage control unit 47 to move the robot hand 22 to the upper right side of the stowage position of the baggage 3, as shown in FIG. 10(a) (step S110). As a result, the robot hand 22 moves to the upper right side of the stowage position of the baggage 3.

Then, as shown in Figures 10(b) and (c), the stowage calculation unit 43 sends a control signal to the stowage control unit 47 to rotate the robot hand 22 around the X axis counterclockwise when viewed in the front direction of the stowage robot 15 (step S111). As a result, the baggage 3 is transferred in a horizontal state from the robot hand 22 to the stowage position inside the container 2. Note that the storage case 26 of the robot hand 22 is omitted in Figure 10.

After executing step S108 or step S111, the stowage calculation unit 43 sends a control signal to the stowage control unit 47 to return the robot hand 22 to its initial state and move it to the holding position (step S112). This causes the robot hand 22 to move to the holding position, making it possible to stow the next baggage 3 to be transported.

Here, steps S101 to S104 and S112 correspond to the holding control process described above. Steps S105 to S109 correspond to the second stowage control process described above. Steps S105, S110 and S111 correspond to the first stowage control process described above.

When the baggage 3 to be stowed is loaded into the container 2 in the baggage loading device 1 as described above, the baggage 3 is first held by the robot hand 22 of the stowage robot 15. Specifically, with the robot hand 22 in the holding position, the buffer conveyor 12 is driven, and as shown in FIG. 4(a), the first conveyor section 23 and the second conveyor section 24 of the robot hand 22 are driven to the wall section 30, so that the baggage 3 is transferred from the buffer conveyor 12 to the first conveyor section 23 of the robot hand 22.

Then, as shown in FIG. 9, the robot hand 22 rotates and tilts about the Y axis so that the baggage 3 is positioned on the bottom side, causing the baggage 3 to move down along the first conveyor section 23 due to its own weight, and the handle 31 of the baggage 3 abuts against the wall section 30. Therefore, the baggage 3 is positioned relative to the first conveyor section 23 in the driving direction of the first conveyor section 23 with the wall section 30 as a reference.

In addition, as the robot hand 22 rotates around the X-axis so that the baggage 3 hits the second conveyor section 24, the side surface 3d of the baggage 3 hits the second conveyor section 24. Therefore, the baggage 3 is also positioned relative to the first conveyor section 23 in a direction perpendicular to the driving direction of the first conveyor section 23.

In this state, the robot hand 22 moves in three axial directions and rotates around three axes, so that the baggage 3 held by the robot hand 22 is loaded into a storage area in the container 2 according to the dimensions of the baggage 3.

When baggage 3 is loaded into the front container 2A, the traveling cart 19 remains stopped in front of the front container 2A (see Figure 1). When baggage 3 is loaded into the rear container 2B, the traveling cart 19 travels along the rail 21 to the front of the rear container 2B. The baggage 3 is loaded into the container 2 with the handle 31 facing the front side of the container 2.

Large-sized baggage 3A is first loaded in the rear storage area Sa1 and auxiliary storage area Sa3 of the front container 2A in address order, and then loaded in the front storage area Sb2 of the rear container 2B in address order. Medium-sized baggage 3B is first loaded in the rear storage area Sb1 of the rear container 2B in address order, and then loaded in the front storage area Sa2 of the front container 2A in address order. Small-sized baggage 3C is loaded in the auxiliary storage area Sa3 of the front container 2A and the auxiliary storage area Sb3 of the rear container 2B in address order.

When baggage 3A is to be loaded into the rear storage area Sa1 and the front storage area Sb2, the robot hand 22 moves to the front of the loading position of baggage 3A. At this time, if the loading position of baggage 3A corresponds to an address where baggage 3A is to be loaded in a horizontal state, as shown in Figures 3(a) and 4(b), the first conveyor section 23 and the second conveyor section 24 of the robot hand 22 are driven to the opposite side of the wall section 30, and baggage 3A is transferred from the robot hand 22 to the loading position in a horizontal state.

When the loading position of baggage 3A corresponds to an address where baggage 3A is loaded vertically, as shown in FIG. 3(b), the robot hand 22 rotates 90 degrees around the X-axis in front of the loading position of baggage 3A, changing the posture of the robot hand 22 from a horizontal state to a vertical state. The addresses where baggage 3A is loaded vertically are numbers 5, 8, 23, and 28 (see FIG. 7). In this state, the first conveyor unit 23 and the second conveyor unit 24 are driven to the opposite side of the wall unit 30, and baggage 3A is transferred vertically from the robot hand 22 to the loading position.

When baggage 3A is to be stowed in auxiliary storage areas Sa3, Sb3, as shown in FIG. 10(a), the robot hand 22 moves to the upper right side of the stowage position of baggage 3A. Then, as shown in FIG. 10(b) and (c), the robot hand 22 rotates counterclockwise around the X-axis as viewed from the robot arm 20 side, causing baggage 3A to separate from the robot hand 22. Then, baggage 3A rolls and is placed horizontally in the stowage position.

When baggage 3B is to be loaded into the rear storage area Sb1 and the front storage area Sa2, the robot hand 22 moves to a position just before the loading position of baggage 3B. Then, as shown in FIG. 4(b), the first conveyor section 23 and the second conveyor section 24 are driven to the opposite side of the wall section 30, and baggage 3B is transferred from the robot hand 22 to the loading position in a horizontal position.

When baggage 3C is to be stowed in auxiliary storage areas Sa3 and Sb3, as shown in FIG. 10(a), the robot hand 22 moves to the upper right side of the stowage position of baggage 3C. Then, as shown in FIG. 10(b) and (c), the robot hand 22 rotates counterclockwise around the X-axis as viewed from the robot arm 20 side, causing baggage 3C to separate from the robot hand 22 and to be placed horizontally in the stowage position while rolling.

As described above, in this embodiment, first, the robot hand 22 holding the baggage 3 moves to the right side of the stowage position in the container 2. Then, the baggage 3 held by the robot hand 22 rotates in a rolling direction toward the stowage position. As a result, the baggage 3 is released from the robot hand 22 and placed at the stowage position while rolling. Therefore, even if the robot hand 22 cannot reach the stowage position, the baggage 3 will be placed at the stowage position. This allows the baggage 3 to be stowed in areas of the container 2 that the robot hand 22 cannot reach. Also, the baggage 3 is appropriately placed at the stowage position with a single motion of rolling the baggage 3. Therefore, the stowage time of the baggage 3 can be shortened.

In addition, in this embodiment, even if the robot hand 22 cannot reach the area corresponding to the notch 2f in the container 2, the baggage 3 can be reliably loaded into the area corresponding to the notch 2f in the container 2.

In addition, in this embodiment, when loading baggage 3 in the area inside the container 2 except for the area corresponding to the cutout 2f, the robot hand 22 moves to just before the loading position inside the container 2, and then the first conveyor section 23 and the second conveyor section 24 move the baggage 3 to the loading position, so that the loading of the baggage 3 can be performed with good space efficiency in the left-right direction of the container 2.

In addition, in this embodiment, when the robot hand 22 holds the baggage 3, the baggage 3 is moved by the first conveyor section 23 and the second conveyor section 24, so that the robot hand 22 can easily hold the baggage 3.

In addition, in this embodiment, the first drive unit 33 and the second drive unit 34 perform separate operations to move the robot hand 22 in three axial directions and to rotate the robot hand 22 around three axes. Therefore, the structure of the drive unit that performs the movement and rotation of the robot hand 22 can be simplified.

The present invention is not limited to the above embodiment. For example, in the above embodiment, the baggage 3 is loaded in the container 2 in a horizontal or vertical position, but this is not particularly limited, and all the baggage 3 may be loaded in the container 2 in a horizontal position. In this case, the second conveyor unit 24 is not required. In other words, the robot hand may have a conveyor unit equivalent to the first conveyor unit 23, and a wall unit that is arranged in an L-shape with respect to the conveyor unit and receives the side surface 3d of the baggage 3.

In the above embodiment, the second drive unit 34 is controlled so that the robot hand 22 rotates in a direction in which the baggage 3 held by the robot hand 22 rolls toward the stowage position only when the baggage 3 is stowed in the auxiliary storage areas Sa3, Sb3, which are areas corresponding to the cutout portion 2f in the container 2, but this is not particularly limited to such a configuration. The second drive unit 34 may also be controlled so that the robot hand 22 rotates in a direction in which the baggage 3 held by the robot hand 22 rolls toward the stowage position even when the baggage 3 is stowed in the rear storage areas Sa1, Sb1 and the front storage areas Sa2, Sb2 in the container 2.

In this case, if the robot hand 22 can hold the baggage 3 simply by driving the buffer conveyor 12, the robot hand does not need to be equipped with a conveyor section for moving the baggage 3. In this case, the robot hand may have a structure having, for example, an L-shaped holding wall section.

In addition, in the above embodiment, the control panel 39 has the movement control unit 44, the rotation control unit 45, the position control unit 46, and the stowage control unit 47, but is not limited to such a form. For example, if the control panel 39 is not installed, the movement control unit 44, the rotation control unit 45, the position control unit 46, and the stowage control unit 47 may be provided in the stowage processing unit 38.

In addition, in the above embodiment, the first drive unit 33 and the second drive unit 34 are operated separately, but this is not limited to this form, and the first drive unit 33 and the second drive unit 34 may be operated simultaneously.

In addition, in the above embodiment, the baggage 3 is loaded in the container 2 in a rectangular parallelepiped shape, but the shape of the baggage 3 is not particularly limited to a rectangular parallelepiped shape and may be a cube. In other words, the shape of the baggage 3 may be a square prism. Note that a square prism shape includes a perfect square prism shape and an approximately square prism shape.

In addition, in the above embodiment, the baggage 3 is loaded into a container 2 that has a notch 2f at one of the lower left and right corners, but the present invention is not limited to this particular form, and can also be applied to a baggage loading device that loads baggage into a rectangular container that does not have a notch 2f, for example, as long as there is an area in the container 2 that the robot hand 22 cannot reach.

The present invention can also be applied to cargo loading devices that load cargo into containers other than those for aircraft.

1...luggage loading device, 2...container, 2f...cutout portion, 3...baggage (luggage), 15...loading robot, 22...robot hand, 23...first conveyor section (conveyor section), 24...second conveyor section (conveyor section), 29...control board (control section), 33...first drive section, 34...second drive section, 35...control board (control section), 43...loading calculation section (control section), 47...loading control section (control section), 50...shelf board.

Claims (5)

A cargo loading device for loading rectangular prism-shaped cargo into a container from a side of the container, comprising:
a stowage robot having an L-shaped robot hand for holding the luggage;
A drive unit that moves the robot hand in three axial directions and rotates the robot hand around three axes;
a control unit that executes a first stowage control process that controls the drive unit to move the robot hand holding the luggage to one of the left and right sides of a stowage position in the container, and then controls the drive unit to rotate the robot hand in a direction in which the luggage held by the robot hand rolls toward the stowage position. A cutout portion having a structure in which a lower corner portion of the container is cut out is provided on one of the left and right sides of the container,
a shelf on which the cargo is placed is disposed in an area of the container corresponding to the notch,
2. The luggage stowage device according to claim 1, wherein the control unit executes the first stowage control process when the luggage is stowed in an area corresponding to the cutout portion in the container. the robot hand has a conveyor unit on which the load is placed and which moves the load,
3. The luggage stowage device according to claim 2, wherein the control unit executes a second stowage control process in which, when the luggage is stowed in an area within the container excluding the area corresponding to the cutout portion, the control unit controls the drive unit to move the robot hand holding the luggage to just before a stowage position within the container, and then controls the conveyor unit to drive in a direction in which the luggage held by the robot hand moves toward the stowage position. The luggage stacking device according to claim 3, wherein the control unit executes a holding control process to control the conveyor unit to drive in a direction to hold the luggage on the robot hand before executing the first stowage control process or the second stowage control process. The drive unit includes a first drive unit that moves the robot hand in three axial directions and a second drive unit that rotates the robot hand around three axes,
The luggage stowage device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein, when executing the first stowage control process, the control unit controls the first drive unit to move the robot hand holding the luggage to one of the left and right sides of a stowage position in the container, and then controls the second drive unit to rotate the robot hand in a direction in which the luggage held by the robot hand rolls toward the stowage position.

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