JP7572037B2 - Goods loading system - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an item loading system.

A device that loads egg cartons into multiple cardboard boxes is known (see, for example, Patent Document 1 below). This egg carton loading device has multiple robots lined up along a cardboard passageway along which multiple cardboard boxes are transported. Cardboard boxes that have been loaded by this egg carton loading device are discharged in pairs.

In addition to cardboard boxes, egg cartons are also known to be distributed in racks with shelves (see, for example, Patent Document 2 below). A major difference between racks and cardboard boxes is that they can hold more egg cartons than cardboard boxes, and they are stacked in a more complicated way than cardboard boxes.

Note that while egg cartons have been given as an example of an item, the same can be said for other items that are distributed on racks.

JP 2018-177326 A Utility Model Registration No. 3209255

The present invention aims to provide a loading system that can suppress a decrease in processing capacity when loading items onto racks, which have a more complex structure than cardboard boxes.

The item loading system of the present invention includes an aisle for racks, multiple robots, a partition, and a control unit. Multiple racks are transported along the aisle for racks. The robot is for loading items and is installed along the aisle for racks. The partition is provided in the aisle for racks. The control unit operates the partition between a position that blocks the aisle for racks and a position that opens the aisle for racks.

The present invention makes it possible to prevent a decrease in processing capacity when loading items onto racks, which have a more complex structure than cardboard boxes.

The above and other objects, features, aspects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of the present invention taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 is a side view of an egg carton loading system according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 is a side view showing an operating state of the egg carton loading robot according to the embodiment. FIG. 2 is a plan view showing the operation of the egg carton loading system according to the embodiment. FIG. 2 is a plan view showing the operation of the egg carton loading system according to the embodiment. FIG. 2 is a plan view showing the operation of the egg carton loading system according to the embodiment.

The item loading system S according to this embodiment will be described below with reference to Figures 1 to 5.

The loading system S of this embodiment is a system for loading multiple egg packs P onto movable racks 11, 12 dedicated to egg packs. The racks 11, 12 are provided downstream of the production line for egg packs P. The production line for egg packs P is lined with various devices, such as devices for packing eggs into packs, devices for attaching labels to the packs, and devices for inspecting eggs and labels. On the production line, eggs are packed into packs, labels are attached, and egg packs P that have undergone various inspections are produced one after another. At the stage of loading onto the racks 11, 12, each egg pack P has a lid closed and a label attached.

The racks 11 and 12 are provided with a plurality of shelves 13, and egg packs P are placed on each shelf 13. In this state, the racks 11 and 12 can be moved and displayed in the sales area as is. The racks 11 and 12 are surrounded by a frame 14 on three sides. The racks 11 and 12 also have a spill guard on the insertion and removal side. The racks 11 and 12 are provided with a plurality of shelves 13, and 4 to 6 egg packs P (4 to 6 tiers) are stacked on each shelf. The egg packs P themselves are shaped to suppress the lateral shift of the egg packs P stacked vertically so that the egg packs P do not slide sideways. Each shelf 13 is foldable, and can be changed between a usage state in which it is pulled out to the front side and a storage state in which it is folded and positioned at the back side. A storage space in which the egg packs P are stored is formed above each shelf 13 in the usage state. Egg packs P are stacked vertically in the storage space. Racks 11 and 12 further include a shelf support (not shown) provided on the inside of frame 14 and casters 16.

Egg cartons P come in a variety of sizes and shapes. The diagram shows a 10-egg carton P with a flat top, known as a "flat pack."

The egg pack P loading system S of this embodiment is mainly composed of an aisle 70 for racks, multiple robots 1 and 2 that load egg packs P onto racks 11 and 12, a partition 8, and a control unit 9.

The rack passage 70 transports multiple racks 11, 12. The rack passage 70 is, for example, linear, and includes a rack supply unit 71 that supplies empty racks 11, 12 to the robots 1, 2 described below, and a discharge unit 72 that discharges the loaded racks 11, 12 from the robots 1, 2 side. The racks 11, 12 are transported sideways on the rack passage 70, that is, with the side frames 14 facing forward and backward. In this embodiment, the racks 11, 12 are supplied two at a time and discharged two at a time. That is, the rack supply unit 71 supplies multiple racks 11, 12 loaded by each robot 1, 2 collectively, and the discharge unit 72 discharges multiple racks 11, 12 loaded by each robot 1, 2 collectively.

The robots 1 and 2 are installed along the rack aisle 70. In this embodiment, the two robots 1 and 2 are arranged next to each other. The two robots 1 and 2 perform the same work in that they load egg packs P from the bottom to the top of the racks 11 and 12 to complete the work, but the robots 1 and 2 may load egg packs P onto the racks 11 and 12 in different ways. The first robot 1 loads egg packs P onto the first rack 11. The first robot 1 loads egg packs P from the bottom to the top of the first rack 11. The first robot 1 does not perform a loading operation on the other rack 12. The other robot 2, which is different from the first robot 1, loads egg packs P onto the other rack 12. The other robot 2 loads egg packs P from the bottom to the top of the other rack 12. The other robot 2 does not perform a loading operation on the first rack 11. The other rack 12 is located upstream of the first rack 11. The other racks 12 are discharged from the same discharge section 72 as the first rack 11.

Each robot 1, 2 has a robot head 3 and a robot arm 4.

The robot head 3 has a holding unit 5. The holding unit 5 holds multiple egg packs P. The holding unit 5 is composed of multiple suction members 6. Each suction member 6 suctions the top side of an egg pack P with its lid closed. Each suction member 6 is connected to a vacuum mechanism. Each egg pack P is held by multiple suction members 6.

The robot arm 4 is capable of changing the position and posture of the robot head 3. The robot arm 4 moves the robot head 3 between the temporary waiting area 17 and the racks 11, 12. The robot arm 4 may be, for example, a conventional multi-joint robot that can operate arbitrarily, such as a six-axis vertical multi-joint robot. In addition, the robot arm 4 may be any of a variety of robots or devices that can arbitrarily move the robot head 3 along the X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis.

The temporary waiting area 17 is provided downstream of the item transport device 18. The item transport device 18 transports multiple egg packs P. In this embodiment, an item transport device 18 is provided for each of the robots 1 and 2. A supply unit 19 is provided upstream of the item transport device 18, which supplies multiple egg packs P sent from the production line to the robots 1 and 2.

The supply unit 19 supplies egg packs P, which are transported sequentially from one production line, to one robot 1 and another robot 2. In this embodiment, a robot similar to the robots 1 and 2 described above is used to distribute the egg packs P to an item transport device 18 for one robot 1 and an item transport device 18 for the other robot 2.

The partition 8 is provided in the rack passage 70. The partition 8 is provided between the first rack 11 and the second rack 12. The partition 8 is disposed between the side frame 14 of the first rack 11 and the side frame 14 of the second rack 12. As shown by the two-dot chain line in FIG. 1, the partition 8 is larger than the side frames 14 of the racks 11 and 12, and the partition 8 prevents workers from accessing the adjacent space. In other words, the partition 8 physically separates the working space of the first robot 1 from the working space of the second robot 2 on the rack passage 70, but may also allow line of sight and air to pass through. If the partition 8 is located in a position that blocks the rack passage 70, the movement of the racks 11 and 12 on the rack passage 70 is hindered.

The control unit 9 operates the partition 8 between a position that blocks the rack aisle 70 and a position that opens the rack aisle 70. When moving at least one of the rack 11 and the other rack 12, the control unit 9 moves the movable partition 8 away from between the side frame 14 of the rack 11 and the side frame 14 of the other rack 12. The control unit 9 is composed of a dedicated computer or a general-purpose computer, such as a CPU, internal memory, an input/output interface, and an AD conversion unit. The function of the control unit 9 is fulfilled by the cooperation of the CPU and its peripheral devices according to the program stored in the internal memory.

Next, we will explain an example of a method for loading egg cartons P using the loading system S.

First, the partition 8 is retracted, the rack aisle 70 is opened, and two empty racks 11, 12 are moved in front of the loading robots 1, 2. Then, the control unit 9 operates the partition 8 to move it to a position where it blocks the rack aisle 70. Each rack 11, 12 is temporarily fixed.

First, the first robot 1 picks up and lifts up multiple egg packs P from the first item transport device 18 and places them on the first rack 11. This action is repeated, and when one level of the shelf 13 is completed, the upper shelf 13 is pulled out. When placing egg packs P on the next level of the shelf 13, the first robot 1 and the first item transport device 18 are moved upward in their standby positions. The other robots 2 perform the same movements as the first robot 1.

If, for example, some kind of trouble occurs with one robot 1 during the loading operation of each robot 1, 2 as shown in FIG. 3, a worker who is adjusting the egg packs P on one rack 11 may enter the work space of one robot 1, as shown in FIG. 4. Even in such a case, loading of the other robot 2 onto the other rack 12 can continue while ensuring safety. In other words, since there is no need to simultaneously stop loading of the other robot 2 when a problem occurs with one robot 1, a decrease in the operating rate of the egg pack P loading operation can be suppressed.

After the first robot 1 recovers from the trouble, loading by the first robot 1 resumes, and when loading onto the first rack 11 and the other rack 12 is completed, the control unit 9 operates the partition 8 to open the partition 8 to a position that opens the rack passage 70. Then, as shown in FIG. 5, the first rack 11 and the other rack 12 are discharged together from the discharge unit 72.

As described above, the egg pack P loading system S of this embodiment includes an aisle 70 for racks, multiple robots 1, 2, a partition 8, and a control unit 9. Multiple racks 11, 12 are transported along the aisle 70 for racks. The multiple robots 1, 2 are for loading items and are installed along the aisle 70 for racks. The partition 8 is provided in the aisle 70 for racks. The control unit 9 operates the partition 8 between a position that blocks the aisle 70 for racks and a position that opens the aisle 70 for racks.

The robots 1 and 2 include a robot 1 that loads items onto a rack 11, and another robot 2 that is provided adjacent to the robot 1 and loads items onto another rack 12. A partition 8 is provided between the rack 11 and the rack 12.

The egg pack P loading system S also includes a control unit 9 that places a movable partition 8 between the side frame 14 of one rack 11 onto which egg packs P are loaded by one robot 1, and the side frame 14 of another rack 12 onto which egg packs P are loaded by another robot 2 provided adjacent to the one robot 1. The control unit 9 then moves the movable partition 8 away from between the side frame 14 of the one rack 11 and the side frame 14 of the other rack 12 when moving at least one of the one rack 11 and the other rack 12.

Note that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments.

In the above-described embodiment, the control unit 9 places the partition 8 in advance in a position that blocks the rack aisle 70 regardless of whether a problem occurs or not. However, the partition 8 may be placed in a position that opens the rack aisle 70 under normal circumstances, and when an abnormality occurs, the partition 8 may be moved automatically or manually to a position that blocks the rack aisle 70.

As long as the partition 8 can be moved between a position that blocks the rack passage 70 and a position that opens it, the direction and method of movement are not limited to those shown in the figure and can be modified in various ways.

The items are not limited to egg cartons P. Also, the racks are not limited to racks 11, 12 for egg cartons.

Three or more robots may be arranged along one rack aisle 70. Furthermore, one rack aisle 70 does not have to be linear, and multiple robots 1, 2 do not have to be arranged adjacent to each other.

The embodiments disclosed herein are illustrative and are not intended to be limiting. The present invention is defined by the claims rather than the scope described above, and is intended to include all modifications within the meaning and scope of the claims.

The present invention can be used in egg carton loading systems.

S... Loading system 1... First robot 2... Second robot 8... Partition 9... Control unit 11... First rack 12... Second rack 70... Passage for racks

Claims (1)

a rack passage through which a plurality of racks are transported;
robots for loading items installed along the path for the racks, the robot including a first robot for loading items onto a first rack and another robot provided adjacent to the first robot for loading items onto another rack;
a partition provided between the first rack and the second rack in the rack passage and separating a working space of the first robot from a working space of the second robot ;
and a control unit that operates the partition between a position that blocks the aisle for the rack and a position that opens the aisle for the rack.

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