JP7545016B2 - Gate Assortment System - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a gate sorting system that sorts various items after collection, and in particular to a gate sorting system that prevents erroneous sorting of items when sorting the items according to their final delivery destinations.

Conventionally, in an article sorting operation, a digital display is placed near each article opening, and when this display is lit, an article is inserted into the article opening nearby.

Also, as disclosed in Patent Document 1, there is an item sorting system that includes a plurality of individual sorting openings with opening/closing doors for inserting items, a plurality of mixed sorting openings with opening/closing doors for inserting individual delivery containers containing sorted items at the individual sorting openings, a driving means for independently opening and closing each of the opening/closing doors, an identification information input means for inputting identification information for identifying the items and the individual delivery containers, and a function for opening the opening/closing doors of the individual sorting openings associated with the identification information for identifying the items and opening the opening/closing doors of the mixed sorting openings associated with the identification information for identifying the individual delivery containers.

JP 2014-162609 A

However, in the above-mentioned conventional technology, if digital displays are placed near the top and bottom of each item opening during item sorting work, it is easy to mistakenly insert an item into the upper or lower item opening.

In addition, in the case of Patent Document 1, during the item sorting task, the opening and closing doors cannot be tilted or tilted to change positions at each sorting opening lined up in the vertical direction, so the cognitive enhancement function utilizing ergonomics is poor.

Therefore, the present invention has been devised in consideration of the various circumstances that have existed in the past as described above, and has an object to provide a gate sorting system that makes it possible to set the elevation position of the gate at the article entrance of each tier to a position that is easy to work in when the number of tiers of article entrances in the vertical direction is large, and that can be provided with an ergonomic cognitive enhancement function instead of the conventional digital display.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, in the present invention, a rotating means capable of rotating a cylinder by a linear driving means is attached to each of a plurality of item openings, and the gate of a predetermined item opening is raised or lowered by applying a driving force to the linear driving means. The gate is arranged in the form of a plate on the cylinder above the item opening to an extent that the contents of the item opening can be seen, and the present invention is characterized in that it is possible to provide a cognitive enhancement mechanism that utilizes ergonomics by including a PC having a control means that reads the item identification information of an item removed from an item container by a reading means and operates the rotating means attached to the item opening corresponding to the item sorting information to open the gate.

The cylinder is provided with a stopper having an elevation angle adjustment function so that the gate can be opened wider at the article opening at a lower level compared to the article opening at a higher level, and at least one of the stoppers is an elevation angle stopper having a protrusion on it that regulates the upper limit of the elevation angle movement.

The PC has a control screen equipped with a liquid crystal panel having a function of displaying information related to sorting work and a function of inputting information to the control means, and a touch panel equipped with an input means such as a touch pad.

When the PC reads the item identification information of an item removed from an item container using a reading means, it activates a rotating means attached to the item opening corresponding to the item sorting information, opens the solenoid valve to send air into the cylinder, drives it in a linear manner, and opens the gate of the corresponding item opening.

When the PC has placed an article into the article opening with the gate open, it deactivates the rotation means to transmit a confirmation signal to the control device indicating that the article has been placed into the current article opening.

According to the present invention, when the number of levels of the goods opening in the vertical direction is increased, it is possible to set the elevation position of the gate at the goods opening of each level to a position that makes it easy to work, and it is possible to provide a gate sorting system that can be equipped with an ergonomic cognitive enhancement function instead of the conventional digital display.

1 is a front view of a gate sorting system showing one embodiment for carrying out the present invention. FIG. 2 is an enlarged front view showing the gate of the gate sorting system. FIG. 3A is a cross-sectional view of a cam follower mounting annular body portion in a direction perpendicular to the central axis of the cam follower portion of the gate pivot means. FIG. 3B is a cross-sectional view of the stopper portion in a direction perpendicular to the central axis of the cam follower portion of the gate pivot means. 4 is a cross-sectional view of a cylindrical cam cut from the front to the rear by a plane including a central axis.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS A gate assortment system 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings.
1, the gate assortment system 1 according to this embodiment includes a PC 30 (personal computer) that includes a reading means 24 for reading the article container identification information 21 of an article container 20 storing an article 22 and the article identification information 23 of an article 22 removed from the article container 20, and a control means 25 for receiving article sorting information corresponding to the read article container identification information 21. When the article sorting information is received, the control means 25 of the PC 30 is configured to operate a rotating means 11 attached to an article opening 5 corresponding to the article sorting information, and to open a gate 7 arranged in a plate shape on a cylinder 13 above the article opening 5 to an extent that the contents of the article opening 5 can be seen.

The PC 30 also has a control screen 28 equipped with a liquid crystal panel having a display function for information related to the sorting work and a function for inputting information to the control means 25, and a touch panel equipped with an input means 27 such as a touch pad. For example, as information related to the sorting work, all of the article openings 5 are displayed on the screen, and among these, the state in which the gates 7 through which articles are inserted are displayed on the screen is displayed. The worker considers the location of the open gates 7 displayed on this screen and inserts the articles 22 into the article openings 5.

When an article is put into the open article opening by an operator, the PC 30, for example, by stepping on the foot switch 34, deactivates the rotating means 11 and transmits a confirmation signal to the control means 25 to confirm that the article has been put into the current article opening 5. Note that instead of using the foot switch 34, blocking of the light path of the light receiving and emitting means by a foot may be utilized.

After the completion signal is input, the gate 7 is closed and a message such as "Thank you" is sent to the worker from the speaker 26. This allows the worker to fully understand the progress of the item sorting work, and the worker can perform the item sorting work with less chance of making mistakes.

Furthermore, a wearable reading means attached to a hand, a finger, or the front of the body can also be used as the reading means 24 for the item identification information 23. In particular, when the item is small, the item 22 can be taken out of the container with one hand and the item identification information 23 can be read with the other hand or with a wearable reading means attached to the front of the body, making it possible to carry out the item sorting work from start to finish at any location in front of the item opening 5, thereby shortening the distance the worker must travel and improving work efficiency.

Next, the rotating means 11 of the gate 7 in this system will be described in detail.
In this embodiment, the storage unit comprises a vertical frame 3a, a horizontal frame, a pivoting means holding frame 3c provided on the front of the horizontal frame, and an article opening 5 formed of shelves in four vertical levels and four horizontal rows, and a pivoting means 11 attached to the pivoting means holding frame 3c is installed at the top of each article opening 5.

Further, a plate-shaped gate 7 is disposed on a cylinder 13 disposed above the goods opening 5 so that the contents of the goods opening 5 can be seen. The rotating means 11 makes the cylinder 13 rotatable by a linear driving means 40 driven by the control means 25 of the PC 30, and is attached to each of the multiple goods openings 5. By applying a driving force to the linear driving means 40, the gate 7 of a predetermined goods opening 5 is elevated or lowered.

As shown in Figures 3(a) and 4, a cam follower mounting ring 17 is provided on the cylindrical body 13, to which a cam follower 18 is attached, and a driving force for rotating the cylindrical body 13 is applied by the cam follower 18 from a cylindrical cam 50 which is provided inside the cylindrical body 13 and which performs linear motion in the axial direction of the cylindrical body 13, by air supplied through an electromagnetic valve (not shown) linked to the control means 25 of the PC 30.

A cylindrical cam 50 is disposed on the cylindrical body 13, and the drive shaft 42 of the linear drive means 40 is connected to the rear end of the cylindrical cam 50. The central axis of the cylindrical cam 50 is aligned with the central axis of the cylindrical body 13 inside the rotatably held cylindrical body 13. The cylindrical cam 50 has a cam slope 52a that passes through the intersection with the central plane in the axial direction of the cylindrical cam 50 and is perpendicular to each partition surface perpendicular to the central plane on the tip side, and a cam slope 52b that is point-symmetrical with the cam slope 52a and a point on the central axis of the cylindrical cam 50. The linear drive means 40 is also provided with a rotation prevention means 44 that prevents the cylindrical cam 50 from rotating around the central axis. With these, the cylindrical body 13 rotates while the cam follower 18 moves along the cam slopes 52a and 52b in accordance with the linear drive of the cylindrical cam 50.

An air actuator with an air piston, a linear motor actuator, or the like can be used as the linear drive means 40, but it is preferable to use an air actuator with a simple structure. Also, when an air actuator with a mechanism for preventing rotation of the drive shaft is used, the above-mentioned rotation prevention means 44 does not need to be installed.

2 and 3(b), the cylinder 13 is provided with two stoppers (31a, 31b) having a depression/elevation angle adjustment function to regulate the elevation/depression range of the gate 7. One of the stoppers (31a, 31b) is an elevation angle stopper 31a having a protrusion 32a that regulates the upper limit of the elevation angle, and the other is a depression angle stopper 31b having a protrusion 32b that regulates the lower limit of the depression angle. The protrusions (32a, 32b) of the stoppers (31a, 31b) abut against the roughly U-shaped support 14 that holds both ends of the cylinder 13, stopping the rotation of the cylinder 13.

For example, two stoppers (31a, 31b) for specifying the elevation and depression positions are attached adjacent to the fixing ring 15. The positions of the gate at the elevation and depression angles can be set individually for each stopper (31a, 31b). Therefore, when the number of stages of the goods opening 5 in the vertical direction increases, it is possible to set the elevation and elevation positions of the gate 7 of the goods opening 5 of each stage to a position that is easy to work at. For example, it is possible to adjust the opening degree in an ergonomic way, such that the gate 7 is opened widely for the goods opening 5 located at a low position and opened narrowly for the goods opening 5 located at a high position.

Next, in this embodiment, an example will be described in which the PC 30 sorts items into each item opening 5.

In Figure 1, when an item container 20 containing items 22 is delivered, a worker reads the item container identification information 21 using a reading means 24, and the control means 25 of the PC 30 receives item sorting information corresponding to the read item container identification information 21 and starts the item sorting work.

Next, when the item identification information 23 of the item 22 removed from the item container 20 is read by the reading means 24, the control means 25 of the PC 30 activates the rotating means 11 attached to the item opening 5 corresponding to the item sorting information, opens the solenoid valve to send air to the cylindrical cam 50, driving it linearly and opening the gate 7 of the corresponding item opening 5.

The worker inserts goods 22 into the goods opening 5 with the gate 7 open, and then, for example, by stepping on the foot switch 34, deactivates the rotating means 11 and sends a confirmation signal to the control device 25 that the goods have been inserted into the current goods opening 5.

After the completion signal is input, the gate 7 is closed and a message such as "thank you" is spoken to the worker from the speaker 26.

Reference Signs List 1...Gate assortment system 3a...Vertical frame 3c...Pivoting means holding frame 5...Article opening 7...Gate 11...Pivoting means 13...Cylinder 14...Support 15...Annular fixing body 17...Annular cam follower mounting body 18...Cam follower 20...Article container 21...Article container identification information 22...Article 23...Article identification information 24...Reading means 25...Control means 26...Speaker 27...Input means 28...Control screen 30...PC
31a, 31b...Stopper (elevation angle stopper, depression angle stopper)
32a, 32b... projection 40... linear driving means 42... driving shaft 44... rotation prevention means 50... cylindrical cam 52a, 52b... cam inclined surface

Claims (10)

An article opening into which an article or an article container containing the article is inserted;
A cylindrical body arranged for each of the article openings;
a gate disposed on the cylindrical body and opened and closed to such an extent that the contents of the article opening can be seen;
A reading means for reading the item identification information attached to the item and/or the item container identification information attached to the item container;
a rotating means for converting a linear driving force applied to the cylinder into a rotational force of the cylinder and converting the rotational force of the cylinder into an up-down motion of a predetermined one of the gates;
control means for actuating the rotating means;
and a tilt angle adjustment function for restricting a tilt operation range according to a height with respect to the gate when operating the rotation means attached to the article opening corresponding to the article sorting information corresponding to the article identification information and/or article container identification information read by the reading means ,
The elevation angle adjustment function includes an elevation angle stopper that regulates the upper limit of the elevation angle of the gate, and a depression angle stopper that regulates the upper limit of the depression angle of the gate, so that the gate associated with the article opening that is located at a low position among the article openings is opened widely, and the gate associated with the article opening that is located at a high position when viewed from the front is opened narrowly.
A gate assortment system comprising: The cylindrical body is
a cylindrical cam disposed in the cylindrical body and having an inclined cam surface in an axial direction of the cylindrical body;
A cam follower attached to the cylindrical body;
having
the linear driving force is applied by a linear driving means that is disposed within the cylindrical body and applies a linear driving force in the axial direction to the cylindrical cam;
2. The gate sorting system according to claim 1, characterized in that, when the linear driving force is applied to the cylindrical cam, the rotating means converts the linear driving force into a rotational motion in which the cylindrical body rotates around the axis by moving the cam follower along the cam inclined surface. The cylindrical body is provided with a cam follower mounting annular body,
the cam inclined surface is composed of a first cam inclined surface and a second cam inclined surface which are arranged on the tip end side of the cylindrical cam and are point symmetrical with respect to the point on the axis,
3. The gate sorting system according to claim 2, wherein the cam follower is attached to the cam follower mounting annular body and moves along the first cam inclined surface and/or the second cam inclined surface in accordance with the linear motion of the cylindrical cam. 3. The gate sorting system according to claim 2, wherein said linear drive means is powered by air supplied through an electromagnet connected to said control means. The gate sorting system according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the gate is plate-shaped. a liquid crystal panel having a function of displaying information related to the sorting operation of the articles and/or the article containers and a function of inputting information to the control means;
The gate assortment system according to any one of claims 1 to 4, further comprising: a control screen equipped with a touch panel having an input means including a touch pad. A gate sorting system as described in any one of claims 1 to 4, further comprising a foot switch that can be stepped on by a worker involved in the task of inserting the item or item container into the item opening, which, when stepped on, causes the control means to deactivate the rotating means and send a confirmation signal that the item or item container has been inserted into the item opening. 8. The gate assortment system according to claim 7 , wherein the gate is closed after the confirmation signal of the completion of the input is transmitted. 8. The gate assortment system according to claim 7 , wherein after the confirmation signal of the completion of insertion is transmitted, the gate is closed and a specific sound is generated. The gate sorting system according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the reading means is a wearable reading means that can be worn on the body of a worker involved in the task of inserting the item or the item container into the item opening.

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