JP7634954B2 - Luggage loading device and luggage loading method - Google Patents

Description

This invention relates to a luggage loading device and luggage loading method for loading luggage onto or unloading luggage from the bed of a vehicle such as a truck. The luggage is, for example, a cardboard box, and is mounted on a pallet. The luggage is transported together with the pallet by the luggage loading device.

Generally, when cargo placed on a pallet (pallet load) is loaded onto the bed or cargo compartment of a truck, the loading work is performed by an operator operating a forklift. This requires manpower and time, resulting in high costs. The following patent documents disclose loading devices that automate the loading of pallet loads. Patent document 1 discloses a loading device equipped with two forks that scoop up pallet loads and a rotating shaft that allows the forks to rotate horizontally. Patent document 2 discloses a loading device that loads pallet loads lifted by the forks by pushing them closer to the width of pallet loads already loaded into the cargo compartment.

The height and inclination angle of the floor of a vehicle's loading platform changes depending on the weight of the luggage when it is placed on the platform or lifted. To perform loading or unloading operations quickly and efficiently, it is desirable to place luggage on the platform or lift it off the platform in accordance with the height and inclination angle of the floor.

Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 8-244982 JP 2020-40771 A

There has been no loading device that can measure the inclination angle of the floor surface of a vehicle's loading platform. Furthermore, there has been no loading device that can load or unload luggage onto or from the platform based on the inclination angle of the floor surface of the platform. Therefore, there has been a need for a luggage loading device that can suitably load or unload luggage onto or from the platform depending on the inclination angle of the floor surface.

One feature of the present disclosure relates to a luggage loading device that performs at least one of the operations of loading luggage onto the bed of a vehicle and unloading luggage from the bed. The luggage loading device has forks that hold luggage, a slide mechanism that moves the forks in an approaching/separating direction toward or away from the bed, and a lifting mechanism that raises and lowers the forks. The luggage loading device has a tilt mechanism that tilts the forks so that the tips of the forks in the approaching/separating direction move up and down relative to the base ends of the forks, and a distance sensor provided on the forks to obtain the downward distance from the forks positioned above the bed to the floor of the bed. The luggage loading device has a floor surface inclination angle calculator that calculates the inclination angle of the floor of the bed based on a signal from the distance sensor, and a fork movement controller that operates at least one of the slide mechanism, lifting mechanism, and tilt mechanism based on the inclination angle of the floor of the bed to move the forks in accordance with the inclination angle of the floor.

Therefore, the forks can be tilted or moved according to the inclination angle of the floor of the loading platform. This prevents interference between the floor and the luggage, or between the floor and the forks. Furthermore, the luggage can be placed on the floor of the loading platform in a stable position. Moreover, the height and inclination angle of the floor can be calculated in accordance with the loading or unloading operation. The height and inclination angle of the floor change every time luggage is loaded or unloaded. Therefore, the height and inclination angle of the floor, which change easily, can be calculated every time a loading or unloading operation is performed. This allows luggage to be loaded onto or unloaded from the loading platform with high precision.

Note that in this disclosure, the left-right and front-rear directions are not limited to the orientation of the vehicle. For example, the vehicle may park on either the left or right side of the luggage loading device. The longitudinal direction of the vehicle may be the front-rear direction, and luggage may be loaded from either the left or right opening. Alternatively, the longitudinal direction of the vehicle may be the left-right direction, and luggage may be loaded from the rear opening.

According to another feature of the present disclosure, the fork has a fork horizontal section that is long in the approach/retract direction. The distance sensor includes a first distance sensor and a second distance sensor that are arranged on the fork horizontal section so as to be aligned in the longitudinal direction of the fork horizontal section. Therefore, the floor surface inclination angle calculator can easily calculate the inclination angle of the floor surface in the approach/retract direction based on the signals from the two distance sensors and the distance between the two distance sensors. Therefore, the fork horizontal section can be tilted or moved quickly or appropriately according to the inclination angle of the floor surface. Moreover, the distance between the two distance sensors can be made relatively long in the longitudinal direction of the fork horizontal section. Therefore, the inclination angle of the floor surface can be calculated with high accuracy. This allows the fork horizontal section to be tilted or moved more appropriately according to the inclination angle of the floor surface.

Another feature of the present disclosure relates to a method for loading luggage onto a vehicle bed using a luggage loading device. The forks that hold the luggage are moved to a position higher than the floor surface of the bed by a lifting mechanism. The forks are moved toward the bed by a sliding mechanism to move the forks to an upper area of the floor surface. The forks are lowered by the lifting mechanism to place the luggage on the floor surface. When removing the forks from the luggage, the lifting mechanism and the sliding mechanism are operated to move the forks parallel to the floor surface.

Therefore, by moving the forks parallel to the floor of the loading platform, the forks can be removed from the luggage without interfering with the luggage placed on the loading platform or the floor of the loading platform. For example, the forks can be removed parallel to the floor based on a signal from a distance sensor attached to the forks. At this time, the forks can be removed after checking that they are parallel to the floor. This allows the forks to be removed appropriately from the luggage. Alternatively, the inclination angle of the floor is calculated, and the lifting mechanism and slide mechanism are driven based on this inclination angle of the floor. In this case too, the forks can be removed appropriately from the luggage.

According to another feature of the present disclosure, the inclination angle of the floor surface is calculated by the control unit based on a signal from the distance sensor. Therefore, the inclination angle and movement direction of the forks that are parallel to the floor surface can be known. Moreover, the inclination angle of the floor surface can be calculated during loading work based on a signal from a distance sensor provided on the forks. Therefore, the forks can be moved appropriately when loading luggage onto the bed or when removing the forks from the luggage.

According to another feature of the present disclosure, the control unit of the luggage loading device tilts the forks by the tilt mechanism from an initial angle to a floor angle at which the forks are approximately parallel to the floor surface, in accordance with the inclination angle of the floor surface, before placing the luggage on the floor surface. Therefore, the luggage can be placed on the floor surface of the loading platform so that the bottom surface of the luggage is approximately parallel to the floor surface of the loading platform. Therefore, the luggage can be placed on the loading platform in a stable position.

According to another feature of the present disclosure, the control unit inserts the forks into the fork insertion holes of the cargo or the fork insertion holes of the pallet on which the cargo is placed using the slide mechanism. The control unit raises the forks using the lifting mechanism. The control unit tilts the forks using the tilt mechanism so that the forks are at an initial angle that is approximately horizontal based on a signal from a distance sensor provided on the forks. The tilt angle at which the forks are tilted is stored in memory. Therefore, when the forks hold a cargo, the tip side of the forks is tilted upward using the tilt mechanism, taking into account deflection due to the weight of the cargo. This holds the forks at an approximately horizontal initial angle. Therefore, the forks can transport the cargo in a stable position.

According to another feature of the present disclosure, when placing a load on the floor and removing the forks from the fork insertion holes, the control unit tilts the forks using the tilt mechanism by utilizing the tilt angle stored in the memory so that the forks are parallel to the floor.

In other words, when a load is placed on the floor, the weight of the load is released from the forks. This causes the tips of the forks to tilt upward from the floor. This tilt of the forks is related to the tilt angle of the forks when the load is lifted by the forks. Therefore, the forks can be quickly returned to the floor angle by lowering the tips of the forks based on the stored tilt angle. As a result, the forks can be removed from the fork insertion hole while parallel to the floor. Thus, the forks can be removed from the fork insertion hole without interfering with the load.

According to another feature of the present disclosure, the control unit calculates the vehicle inclination, which is the difference between a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the loading platform and the approach/removal direction in which the forks are moved toward or away from the loading platform by the slide mechanism, based on a signal from a distance sensor that detects the position of the vehicle. The control unit determines the position of the luggage in the approach/removal direction on the floor surface of the loading platform according to the vehicle inclination. The control unit shifts the luggage that is placed in parallel along the longitudinal direction of the loading platform in order in the approach/removal direction.

As a result, multiple pieces of luggage are placed in a staggered manner in the approaching/separating direction depending on the inclination of the vehicle. Therefore, luggage can be loaded onto the platform by moving the forks in the approaching/separating direction, raising/lowering, or tilting them using the lifting mechanism, sliding mechanism, and tilt mechanism. In other words, even if the vehicle is inclined, multiple pieces of luggage can be loaded side by side onto the platform without having to rotate the forks horizontally. This simplifies the movement of the forks. This allows luggage to be loaded efficiently.

1 is an overall plan view of a conveying device according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 2 is a partial rear view of the conveying device as seen from the direction of the arrow II in FIG. 1 . FIG. FIG. 1 is a plan view of a supply mechanism and a lift mechanism, the plan view showing a state in which the supply conveyor is located at a standby position. 1 is a plan view of a supply mechanism and a lift mechanism, which shows a state in which packages are transported onto a supply conveyor. 1 is a plan view of the supply mechanism and the lift mechanism, showing the state in which the supply conveyor has moved to the supply position. 1 is a plan view of the supply mechanism and the lift mechanism, which shows a state in which the lift unit has moved and the article has been transferred from the supply conveyor. 1 is a plan view of the supply mechanism and the lift mechanism, which shows a state in which the lift unit has moved and placed the transferred cargo on the temporary placement table. 1 is a plan view of the supply mechanism and the lift mechanism, showing the supply conveyor returned to the standby position. 11 is a plan view of the supply mechanism and the lift mechanism, which shows a state in which a second article has been transferred to the lift section. 1 is a plan view of the supply mechanism and the lift mechanism, showing a state in which two packages have been transferred to the lift section and the supply conveyor has been returned to the standby position. FIG. FIG. 4 is a view of the vehicle and the luggage compartment length measuring mechanism from the right side. FIG. 2 is a plan view of the vehicle and the luggage compartment length measuring mechanism as viewed from above. 13 is a plan view showing the movement state of the distance sensor relative to the rear edge of the opening as viewed from above. FIG. 13 is a view showing the forward movement of the luggage compartment length measuring mechanism relative to the luggage compartment, as viewed from the right side. FIG. 13 is a view showing the vertical movement of the luggage compartment length measuring mechanism relative to the luggage compartment as viewed from the right side. FIG. 13 is a view from the right side showing the vertical movement of the luggage compartment length measuring mechanism near the front edge of the opening. FIG. 13 is a view from the right side showing the state in which the luggage compartment length measuring mechanism has passed from the rear to the front relative to the front wall of the luggage compartment. FIG. FIG. 2 is a block diagram of each device related to control of the transport device. 13 is a rear view of the lift unit lifting up luggage from the temporary placement table and the supply mechanism. FIG. 13 is a rear view of the lift unit when it has moved to an upper area of the floor surface of the cargo bed. FIG. FIG. 2 is a rear view of the lift unit placing luggage on the floor of the loading platform. FIG. 13 is a flowchart showing how the lift unit loads luggage onto a loading platform. FIG. 2 is a plan view of a vehicle and a transport device inclined horizontally.

Next, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to Figs. 1 to 26. As shown in Figs. 1 and 14, the vehicle 1 is, for example, a large truck with a side wing. The vehicle 1 has an opening 3 on the right side of the luggage compartment 2 for loading or unloading luggage. The opening 3 is opened and closed by a wing (not shown) that rotates up and down around the ceiling. In the following description, the front-rear, left-right, and up-down directions are based on the vehicle 1.

As shown in FIG. 14, the opening 3 of the luggage compartment 2 is formed between the front wall 4, the rear wall 5, the ceiling 6, and the luggage platform (floor) 7. The rear surface of the front wall 4 of the luggage compartment 2 corresponds to the front edge of the opening 3, and the front surface of the rear wall 5 of the luggage compartment 2 corresponds to the rear edge of the opening 3. The left side wall 8 is located at the back of the opening 3.

As shown in FIG. 1, the vehicle 1 is stopped in the upper track area T. The vehicle 1 is stopped in the track area T with the cabin 1a positioned forward (on the right side of the drawing). An equipment area P is set below the track area T, with a boundary E as the boundary. A luggage loading device 10, which will be described below, is installed in the equipment area P. The luggage loading device 10 sequentially loads luggage W into the luggage compartment 2. The luggage loading device 10 can also be used to unload luggage W from the luggage compartment 2 by operating it in a manner generally opposite to the loading operation. As shown in FIG. 2, in this embodiment, the equipment installation surface Q of the equipment area P where the luggage loading device 10 is installed is made to be the same surface as the road surface R of the track area T.

As shown in FIG. 1, the luggage loading device 10 includes a lift mechanism 100, a supply mechanism 20, and a main movement mechanism 40. The lift mechanism 100 has a lift section 120 that raises and lowers luggage W. The supply mechanism 20 supplies luggage W to the lift section 120. When unloading luggage, the supply mechanism 20 receives luggage W from the lift section 120.

As shown in FIG. 1, the lift mechanism 100 and the supply mechanism 20 are mounted on a lift base 41 of a main movement mechanism 40. The main movement mechanism 40 moves the lift mechanism 100 and the supply mechanism 20 together in the front-rear direction along the luggage compartment 2 of the vehicle 1. The main movement mechanism 40 has two rails 42 laid in the front-rear direction along the luggage compartment 2 of the vehicle 1. The lift base 41 is supported via the two rails 42 so that it can move forward and backward along the luggage compartment 2 (opening 3) of the vehicle 1. As shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 3, the main movement mechanism 40 has a drive mechanism 43 for moving the lift base 41 along the two rails 42. The drive mechanism 43 uses an electric motor 44 and a rack-and-pinion mechanism 45.

As shown in FIG. 3, the lift mechanism 100 includes a lift section 120 supported on the lift base 41 via upper and lower two-stage slide mechanisms 101 and 102. The upper and lower slide mechanisms 101 and 102 each include a pair of slide rails and a drive mechanism. The drive mechanism of the lower slide mechanism 101 uses an electric motor and a ball screw mechanism. The drive mechanism of the upper slide mechanism 102 uses an electric motor and a rack and pinion mechanism. The lower slide table 103 is supported on the lift base 41 via the lower-stage slide mechanism 101 so that it can slide left and right (in the direction approaching and moving away from the opening 3 of the luggage compartment 2).

As shown in FIG. 3, a pair of rollers 105 are provided on the left end of the lift base 41. When the lower slide table 103 slides toward the opening 3 of the luggage compartment 2 as shown by the two-dot chain line in FIG. 3, the left end of the lower slide table 103 is received from below by the pair of rollers 105. When the lower slide table 103 slides toward the opening 3 and the luggage W enters the luggage compartment 2 through the opening 3, the lower slide table 103 (the weight of the lift section 120) is received by the rollers 105, so that the luggage W does not move downward (the lift section 120 does not bend). A roller body is used for the rollers 105 to ensure smooth sliding of the lower slide table 103.

As shown in FIG. 3, the upper slide table 104 is supported on the lower slide table 103 via the upper slide mechanism 102 so that it can slide left and right. The upper slide table 104 is provided in a state where it stands upward from the lower slide table 103. When the lower slide table 103 is supported by the rollers 105, the upper slide table 104 can move by protruding leftward from the left end of the lower slide table 103 toward the loading platform 7. The lift table 107 is supported on the right side of the upper slide table 104 via a lift mechanism 106 so that it can be raised and lowered. As shown in FIG. 4, an electric cylinder-type lift drive unit 108 having an electric motor and a ball screw mechanism is interposed between the upper slide table 104 and the lift table 107. The lift table 107 is raised and lowered using the lift drive unit 108 as a drive source.

As shown in FIG. 3, a tilting frame 109 is supported on the left side of the lifting platform 107. The tilting frame 109 is supported so as to be tiltable up and down relative to the lifting platform 107 via a tilting support shaft 110 provided at the bottom. An electric cylinder-type tilting drive mechanism 111 having an electric motor and a ball screw mechanism is interposed between the tilting frame 109 and the lifting platform 107. The tilting drive mechanism 111 causes the tilting frame 109 to tilt up and down around the tilting support shaft 110. In this disclosure, the tilting drive mechanism 111 is also referred to as a tilt mechanism.

As shown in Figures 3 and 4, two forks 121 are supported on the tilting frame 109. When the tilting frame 109 is tilted by the tilt drive mechanism 111, the forks 121 tilt up and down together with the tilting frame 109. The two forks 121 are supported on the tilting frame 109 in a state in which they can freely tilt up and down within a certain angular range via the tilting support shafts 110. The downward tilting range of the forks 121 is restricted to a roughly horizontal position by the stopper 121d. The weight of the luggage W is supported by the restriction at the horizontal position by the stopper 121d. The forks 121 are allowed to tilt upward from the horizontal position, and when the forks 121 receive a force from below, they escape upward within a certain angular range.

As shown in Figures 4 and 22, the two forks 121 have a long, flat plate shape that can be inserted into the fork insertion holes 11a of the pallet 11, and are supported parallel to each other. The right ends of the two forks 121 are bent upward into an L-shape. The forks 121 are supported by the tilting frame 109 with the fork horizontal part 121b extending generally horizontally to the left via the fork mast 121a that is bent upward.

As shown in FIG. 22, a detection sensor 121c is provided on the upper part of the fork mast 121a to detect the tilting of the fork mast 121a relative to the tilting frame 109. When the fork 121 receives a force from below and rotates clockwise, the fork mast 121a tilts to the right. When the detection sensor 121c detects that the fork mast 121a is tilted to the right at a tilt angle of a predetermined angle or more, it transmits a signal. In response to the signal, an alarm device provided in the luggage loading device 10, for example, is activated. For example, a lamp is turned on or a buzzer sounds an alarm. This notifies the user that the fork 121 is inadvertently in contact with the loading platform 7, the front wall 4, or the like. A detection sensor instead of the detection sensor 121c may be provided, for example, on the fork horizontal part 121b. The detection sensor may use, for example, a strain gauge to detect the force or impact that the fork horizontal part 121b receives from below. Alternatively, the detection sensor may detect vibrations of the fork horizontal part 121b, for example, when the fork horizontal part 121b receives a force from below.

As shown in Figures 3 and 4, the two forks 121 have a length that allows them to hold two pieces of luggage W adjacent to each other. As shown in Figure 22, a first distance sensor 121e and a second distance sensor 121f are provided on the underside of the fork horizontal part 121b of each of the two forks 121. The first distance sensor 121e and the second distance sensor 121f measure the height of the underside of the fork horizontal part 121b relative to the floor surface by, for example, irradiating light (infrared light, laser light, etc.) downward and receiving the reflected light. The first distance sensor 121e is provided in the tip region (left region) of the fork horizontal part 121b. The second distance sensor 121f is provided in the base end region (right region) of the fork horizontal part 121b. Preferably, the first distance sensor 121e and the second distance sensor 121f are provided in a region that avoids the tip part where the fork 121 is relatively thin. The first distance sensor 121e and the second distance sensor 121f are located in a place that is not covered by the bottom of the pallet 11, in other words, in a position where they can irradiate light downward through the opening of the pallet 11. The first distance sensor 121e and the second distance sensor 121f can irradiate laser light downward on the pallet 11 through the opening when the fork horizontal portion 121b holds two pallets 11 side-by-side.

As shown in FIG. 21, the loading device 10 has a control unit 116 that controls the operation of the lift mechanism 100. The control unit 116 has a (floor surface) inclination angle calculator 116a that calculates the inclination angle of the floor surface of the loading platform 7, a fork movement controller 116b that controls the movement of the fork 121, and a memory 116c. The inclination angle calculator 116a and the fork movement controller 116b are software such as programs stored in the memory 116c, for example. The memory 116c stores in advance the left-right distance between the first distance sensor 121e and the second distance sensor 121f. The memory 116c can also store the amount of movement by which the lift mechanism 100 moves the lift unit 120 in the up-down or left-right direction, the tilt angle when the tilt drive mechanism 111 tilts the fork 121, etc.

The tilt angle calculator 116a calculates the tilt angle of the platform 7 relative to the underside of the fork horizontal section 121b. The tilt angle calculator 116a is electrically connected to the first distance sensor 121e and the second distance sensor 121f. The tilt angle of the platform 7 is calculated based on the height data acquired by the first and second distance sensors 121e, 121f, respectively, the distances of the first and second distance sensors 121e, 121f stored in the memory 116c, and trigonometric functions. A calculation program for calculating the tilt angle is stored in a non-volatile memory.

The fork movement controller 116b is electrically connected to the lifting mechanism 106, the upper slide mechanism 102, the lower slide mechanism 101, and the tilt drive mechanism 111. The fork movement controller 116b transmits a command signal based on the tilt angle of the platform 7 calculated by the tilt angle calculator 116a and the data stored in the memory 116c. The lifting mechanism 106, the upper slide mechanism 102, the lower slide mechanism 101, and the tilt drive mechanism 111 are driven appropriately by the command signal transmitted by the fork movement controller 116b.

As shown in Figures 5 to 12, the supply mechanism 20 has a standby conveyor 21 on the upstream side and a supply conveyor 22 on the downstream side. Although not shown in the figures, the standby conveyor 21 has chain conveyor mechanisms 21a on both sides in the conveying direction (the direction approaching the track area T). The chain conveyor mechanism 21a has an electric motor as its drive source. A large number of conveying rollers are arranged in parallel between the chain conveyor mechanisms 21a.

As shown in Figures 5 to 7, the standby conveyor 21 is disposed behind the lift mechanism 100 and generally parallel to the lift mechanism 100. When loading luggage W into the luggage compartment 2, luggage W brought in from the upstream side in the transport direction (the right side in Figure 1) is transported to the left. Multiple luggage W can be kept waiting on the standby conveyor 21. The waiting luggage W is transferred one by one onto the supply conveyor 22.

As shown in Figures 6 to 8, the supply conveyor 22 is movable between a standby position downstream of the standby conveyor 21 (the luggage compartment 2 side) and a supply position displaced forward from the standby position. The standby position of the supply conveyor 22 is set to a position close enough to the standby conveyor 21 so that the luggage W can be smoothly transferred between the standby conveyor 21 and the supply conveyor 22. The supply conveyor 22 is located to the left of the lift mechanism 100 that moves to the supply position. The supply position is set to a position where the luggage W can be transferred between the supply conveyor 22 and the lift mechanism 100. The movement of the supply conveyor 22 is performed by a pair of slide rails 22a and a slide drive mechanism 22b. The slide drive mechanism 22b uses an electric motor and a rack and pinion mechanism. The standby position and supply position of the supply conveyor 22 and the presence or absence of luggage W are detected by sensors not shown.

As shown in FIG. 2, fences 23 are provided along both sides (front and back) of the standby conveyor 21 in the conveying direction. In addition, fences 24 are provided on both the front and back of the supply conveyor 22. The fences 23, 24 each extend high upward. For cargo W, such as relatively large cardboard boxes stacked two high on the pallet 11, the fences 23, 24 prevent the cargo from falling over.

As shown in FIG. 21, the control unit 116 has a supply conveyor movement controller 116d, a standby conveyor drive controller 116e, and a lift base movement controller 116f that control the operation of the supply mechanism 20. The standby conveyor drive controller 116e issues a command signal that controls the drive of the slide drive mechanism 22b to move or stop the supply conveyor 22 in the forward/backward direction. The standby conveyor drive controller 116e issues a command signal that controls the drive of the chain conveyor mechanism 21a. The lift base movement controller 116f issues a command signal that controls the drive of the main movement mechanism 40 to move or stop the lift base 41 in the forward/backward direction. The supply conveyor movement controller 116d, the standby conveyor drive controller 116e, and the lift base movement controller 116f are software such as programs stored in the memory 116c, for example.

(Structure of the Insertion Mechanism 60)
As shown in Fig. 1, a feeding mechanism 60 is provided in the device area P. The feeding mechanism 60 is installed in an area on the opposite side of the vehicle 1 with respect to the movement area of the main movement mechanism 40. The feeding mechanism 60 feeds baggage W onto the standby conveyor 21 of the supply mechanism 20. In addition, in the unloading operation, conversely, the baggage W is thrown from the standby conveyor 21 into the feeding mechanism 60.

As shown in FIG. 1, the input mechanism 60 has an input conveyor 61 that inputs baggage W onto the standby conveyor 21 or throws baggage W out from the standby conveyor 21, and an input moving mechanism 62 that moves the input conveyor 61 along the edge of the movement area of the main moving mechanism 40. The input moving mechanism 62 is laid along the main moving mechanism 40 over approximately the same area. The input moving mechanism 62 has a pair of rails 63 and an input drive mechanism. Although not shown in the figure, the input drive mechanism has an electric motor and a rack and pinion mechanism, just like the drive mechanism of the main moving mechanism 40. The input conveyor 61 is moved forward and backward along the rails 63 by the input drive mechanism.

As shown in FIG. 1, the input conveyor 61 has a pair of chain conveyor mechanisms, similar to the standby conveyor 21. The chain conveyor mechanism has an electric motor as its drive source. A large number of transport rollers are arranged in parallel between the chain conveyor mechanisms. As shown by the two-dot chain line in FIG. 1, the input conveyor 61 is moved to the right side of the standby conveyor 21, which has been moved horizontally by the main movement mechanism 40. As a result, the luggage W carried onto the input conveyor 61 is input into the standby conveyor 21.

As shown in FIG. 1, luggage W can be loaded onto the input conveyor 61 at any position, regardless of the position of the standby conveyor 21. The horizontal movement of the input conveyor 61 by the input movement mechanism 62 is performed independently of the horizontal movement of the standby conveyor 21 by the main movement mechanism 40. The input conveyor 61 is input into the input conveyor 61 at any position by the input movement mechanism 62, and then the input conveyor 61 is moved horizontally by the input movement mechanism 62 until it is positioned to the right side of the standby conveyor 21. When it is positioned to the right side of the standby conveyor 21, the chain conveyor mechanism is activated and the luggage W is input onto the standby conveyor 21.

As shown in FIG. 3, an infrared sensor 122 is installed on the top of the lift platform 107 of the lift mechanism 100. The infrared sensor 122 recognizes the state of the two pieces of luggage W held by the two forks 121 (misalignment or collapse of the luggage on the pallet 11). This allows the luggage W to be transferred reliably. The infrared sensor 122 can also confirm the state of the luggage W even when it is loaded into the luggage compartment 2. This allows the collapse of luggage in the luggage compartment 2 to be detected.

(Structure of luggage compartment length measuring mechanism 50)
As shown in Fig. 1, in addition to the lift mechanism 100 and the supply mechanism 20, a luggage compartment length measuring mechanism 50 is provided on the lift base 41. As shown in Figs. 13 and 14, the luggage compartment length measuring mechanism 50 detects the size of the opening 3 of the luggage compartment 2 (length L in the front-rear direction and height H) and the depth D of the luggage compartment 2. The luggage compartment length measuring mechanism 50 is disposed near the left corner of the front part of the lift base 41.

As shown in Figures 13 and 21, the luggage compartment length measuring mechanism 50 includes a support pillar 51 installed on the lift base 41, and a lifting pillar 52 that moves up and down relative to the support pillar 51. The support pillar 51 is fixed in an upright position facing upward. The lifting pillar 52 is supported with its longitudinal direction aligned with the support pillar 51. The lifting pillar 52 is supported relative to the support pillar 51 via a lifting drive mechanism 56. The lifting drive mechanism 56 uses an electric motor and a ball screw mechanism.

The lifting drive mechanism 56 raises and lowers the lifting column 52 based on a command signal from the lifting column controller 116g provided in the control unit 116.

As shown in Figures 13 and 17, an upper distance sensor 53 is attached to the top of the lifting column 52, and a lower distance sensor 54 is attached to the bottom. The upper distance sensor 53 and the lower distance sensor 54 are attached at a distance equal to the height H of the opening 3 of the luggage compartment 2 (set to about 2200 mm in this embodiment). More specifically, the upper distance sensor 53 and the lower distance sensor 54 are arranged at a distance shorter than the height H of the opening 3, so that both sensors 53, 54 can be positioned within the height of the opening 3 at the same time. In this embodiment, laser light type distance sensors are used for the upper and lower distance sensors 53, 54. When the lifting column 52 is raised and lowered, the upper and lower distance sensors 53, 54 are raised and lowered at the same time by the same distance h in the same direction.

The initial position of the lifting column 52 is set so that the upper distance sensor 53 is lower than the height of the ceiling 6, and the lower distance sensor 54 is lower than the height of the floor 7 from the road surface R. In this embodiment, the initial position of the lifting column 52 is set so that the lower distance sensor 54 is at a height of 750 mm from the road surface R. In the sensing stage of the luggage compartment 2, the lifting column 52 is raised and lowered in an area above the initial position. Specifically, the lifting range of the lower distance sensor 54 is set to an assumed range from the road surface R where the vehicle 1 is stopped to the luggage compartment 2 luggage platform 7 (floor), for example, 900 to 1300 mm, or a range including the assumed range, for example, 800 to 1400 mm. This makes it possible to confirm that the luggage platform 7 (floor) is present in a height range of 900 to 1300 mm from the road surface R. The lower end position of the lower distance sensor 54 is set to coincide with the lower end position of the lift unit 120.

In other words, the lift unit 120 (forks 121) is raised and lowered by the lifting mechanism 106 to correspond to the expected height of the vehicle's loading platform 7 (floor). For example, if the vehicle 1 is a large truck, the floor (loading platform) is usually located at a height of about 800 mm or more above the road surface R. Therefore, the lift unit 120 (forks 121) is raised and lowered by the lifting mechanism 106 in an area at least 800 mm or more above the road surface R. When the loading platform 7 (floor) of the loading space 2 is recognized to be not located within the expected range, the loading space measuring mechanism 50 issues a signal to an alarm device such as a warning light or a warning buzzer. The alarm device issues an alarm such as a light or sound. At the same time, the loading preparation work is temporarily stopped.

(Movement of luggage compartment length measuring mechanism 50)
Laser light is emitted from the upper and lower distance sensors 53, 54 towards the luggage compartment 2, and various distance data (signals) relating to the luggage compartment 2 are obtained.

As shown in Figures 13 to 20, the luggage compartment length measuring mechanism 50 has a sensor horizontal movement mechanism that moves the upper and lower distance sensors 53, 54 horizontally along the opening 3 of the luggage compartment 2 to positions corresponding to the front edge (front wall 4) and rear edge (rear wall 5) of the opening 3. In this embodiment, the main movement mechanism 40 that moves the lift base 41 on which the luggage compartment length measuring mechanism 50 is installed corresponds to the sensor horizontal movement mechanism.

As shown in FIG. 13, the luggage compartment length measuring mechanism 50 has a sensor lifting mechanism that moves the upper and lower distance sensors 53, 54 in the vertical direction to positions corresponding to the positions of the ceiling 6 of the luggage compartment 2 and the luggage platform 7. In this embodiment, the lifting drive mechanism 56 of the lifting column 52 in the luggage compartment length measuring mechanism 50 corresponds to the sensor lifting mechanism.

As shown in FIG. 13, the luggage compartment length measuring mechanism 50 has a calculation processor 55 that calculates the positions of the front edge (front wall 4) and rear edge (rear wall 5), ceiling 6, and floor (cargo platform 7) of the opening 3, as well as the depth of the luggage compartment 2, based on large changes in the signals from the distance sensors 53 and 54. The calculation processor 55 is provided in the control unit 116. The calculation processor 55 is software such as a program stored in the memory 116c, for example.

The operation of measuring the length of the luggage compartment 2 by the luggage compartment length measuring mechanism 50 (length measuring step) will now be described. First, as shown in FIG. 14, the lifting column 52 is raised from the initial position to the measurement start position by the lifting drive mechanism 56 at the rear of the luggage compartment 2. As a result, the upper distance sensor 53 is moved to a position higher than the ceiling 6, and the lower distance sensor 54 is moved to a position higher than the floor 7. In this embodiment, at this stage, the lower distance sensor 54 is moved to a height of approximately 1,400 mm from the road surface R. With the upper and lower distance sensors 53, 54 raised, the lift base 41 of the main movement mechanism 40 is moved forward. As a result, the luggage compartment length measuring mechanism 50 is moved horizontally forward slowly.

As shown in Figures 15 and 16, the distance sensors 53, 54 (the lower distance sensor 54 in this embodiment) are moved horizontally relative to the rear wall 5 of the luggage compartment 2, causing a transition from a stage in which the laser light is irradiated onto the right side of the rear wall 5 to a stage in which the laser light leaves the right side and is irradiated onto the left side wall 8 of the luggage compartment 2. The distance to the right side of the rear wall 5 and the distance to the left side wall 8 of the luggage compartment 2 are significantly different. For this reason, at the point in time when the target of the laser light shifts from the right side of the rear wall 5 to the left side wall 8 of the luggage compartment 2, a discontinuous and large fluctuation occurs in the distance data (signal) obtained by the distance sensor 54.

As shown in Figures 14 and 16, the position of the rear wall 5 of the luggage compartment 2 is detected by discontinuous and large fluctuations in the signal obtained by the lower distance sensor 54 (rear edge measurement step).

17 and 18, the luggage compartment length measuring mechanism 50 is moved horizontally forward, passing through the rear wall 5 of the luggage compartment 2 and detecting the rear wall 5 of the luggage compartment 2. After that, the luggage compartment length measuring mechanism 50 further moves horizontally forward a predetermined distance (for example, to a position shown in FIG. 17, which is relatively toward the rear of the luggage compartment 2) and stops at a rearward position. The predetermined distance is, for example, stored in a memory in advance. At the rearward position, the lifting column 52 is lowered to the lowering end (for example, the initial height). As a result, the upper distance sensor 53 is displaced to a position lower than the ceiling 6. Also, the lower distance sensor 54 is displaced to a position lower than the loading platform 7 (floor) (a height of 800 mm from the road surface R). Once displaced to the lowering end, the lifting column 52 is raised. As a result, the upper distance sensor 53 is displaced from below to above the right side of the ceiling 6, and the position (height) of the ceiling 6 is detected. In addition, the lower distance sensor 54 is displaced from below to above with respect to the right side surface of the loading platform 7, and the position (height) of the loading platform 7 is detected (ceiling length measurement step and floor length measurement step). The positions of the ceiling 6 and loading platform 7 are also detected based on discontinuous and large changes in the signals obtained by the upper and lower distance sensors 53, 54.

By detecting the height position of the loading platform 7 (floor), it is confirmed that the loading platform 7 of the vehicle 1 is located at a height within the expected range (900 to 1,300 mm).

As described above, the first detection of the ceiling 6 and the loading platform 7 is performed at the position where the luggage compartment length measuring mechanism 50 passes the rear wall portion 5 forward. After that, the luggage compartment length measuring mechanism 50 is moved horizontally forward again by the operation of the main moving mechanism 40. The luggage compartment length measuring mechanism 50 moves horizontally from a position closer to the rear of the luggage compartment 2 to a position closer to the front by a preset distance, and stops at the forward position. The preset distance is a distance shorter than the expected length of the luggage compartment 2 in the front-to-rear direction, and is, for example, stored in a memory in advance. As shown in FIG. 19, the second detection of the ceiling 6 and the loading platform 7 is performed at the forward position. Even at the forward position, the lifting column 52 is once lowered to the lower end and then raised. As a result, the upper distance sensor 53 is displaced from below to above with respect to the right side of the ceiling 6, and the position (height) of the ceiling 6 is detected. Also, the lower distance sensor 54 is displaced from below to above with respect to the right side of the loading platform 7, and the position (height) of the floor 7 is detected.

In this way, the ceiling 6 and the cargo platform 7 are detected at the stage where the distance sensors 53, 54 are displaced from below to above at two positions, one near the rear and one near the front of the cargo space 2. In this regard, the distance sensors 53, 54 may also be detected at the stage where they are displaced from above to below with respect to the ceiling 6 and the cargo platform 7. Therefore, when the distance sensors 53, 54 are moved horizontally from a rearward position to a forward position, the distance sensors 53, 54 may be moved horizontally while remaining positioned below the ceiling 6 and the cargo platform 7, or the distance sensors 53, 54 may be moved horizontally while remaining positioned above the ceiling 6 and the cargo platform 7. This reduces the vertical movement distance of the distance sensors 53, 54, enabling rapid opening sensing.

In addition, when the luggage compartment length measuring mechanism 50 is moved horizontally from a position toward the rear of the luggage compartment 2 to a position toward the front, the luggage compartment length measuring mechanism 50 can be configured to pass the front wall 4 of the luggage compartment 2 from rear to front, and then return to the rear and stop at a position toward the front. In this case, after the luggage compartment length measuring mechanism 50 detects the front wall 4, it detects the height positions of the ceiling 6 and the cargo bed 7 at a position toward the front. With this configuration, the luggage compartment length measuring mechanism 50 can be accurately stopped at a position toward the front with respect to the front wall 4 of the luggage compartment 2.

As shown in Figures 13 and 14, the height H of the opening 3 of the cargo room 2 is calculated by the arithmetic processor 55 based on the positions of the ceiling 6 and the cargo platform 7 detected by signals from the upper and lower distance sensors 53 and 54, and the vertical position of the lifting column 52 when the signal is received. As described above, the height positions of the ceiling 6 and the cargo platform 7 are detected at two points, the front and rear of the opening 3, and the inclination of the cargo room 2 and the opening 3 in the front and rear directions is detected.

Next, as shown in FIG. 20, when the luggage compartment length measuring mechanism 50 moves horizontally by the main moving mechanism 40 and passes through the front wall 4, the position of the front wall 4 is detected by the lower distance sensor 54 (leading edge length measuring step). As with the rear wall 5, the position of the front wall 4 is also detected based on discontinuous and large fluctuations in the distance data (signal) obtained by the lower distance sensor 54.

As shown in Figures 14 and 16, the positions of the front wall 4 and rear wall 5 of the luggage compartment 2 are detected by discontinuous and large fluctuations in the signal obtained by the lower distance sensor 54. The arithmetic processor 55 calculates the length L in the front-to-rear direction of the opening 3 of the luggage compartment 2 based on the positions of the front wall 4 and rear wall 5 detected by the signals from the distance sensors 53 and 54 and the movement distance of the main movement mechanism 40 when the signal is received (the front-to-rear position of the luggage compartment length measuring mechanism 50) (calculation step).

As shown in Figures 14 and 16, the depth D of the luggage compartment 2 is calculated by the arithmetic processor 55 based on the signal from the distance sensor 54 at the edge positions corresponding to the leading and trailing edges of the opening 3 and the signal from the distance sensor 54 at a position facing the opening 3 (the opening position between the leading and trailing edges) (depth measurement step). The position facing the opening 3 corresponds to the left side wall 8 (rear surface) detected at the stage where the position of the front wall 4 or the rear wall 5 is detected. Therefore, the depth D of the luggage compartment 2 corresponds to the distance from the opening 3 to the left side wall 8.

As shown in FIG. 14, the distance and position to the opening 3 (front wall 4, rear wall 5, ceiling 6, cargo bed 7), the size of the opening 3 (length L, height H), and the depth D of the cargo room 2 are accurately detected by the cargo room length measuring mechanism 50, so that the loading operation of the luggage W by the lift section 120 of the lift mechanism 100 can be performed quickly and accurately. While the loading operation of the luggage W by the lift mechanism 100 continues, the detection of the position of the opening 3 by the cargo room length measuring mechanism 50 is repeated at appropriate timing. This allows the operation of the lift section 120 to be controlled in response to the displacement (sinking) of the cargo bed 7, in particular, that occurs due to an increase in the weight of the loaded luggage W.

(Calculation of Loading Position of Baggage W)
1, pallets 11 are loaded in two rows, one on the left and one on the right, in the luggage compartment 2, and, for example, a plurality of cargo items are placed on each pallet 11. In the following description, one pallet 11 on which one or a plurality of cargo items are placed is regarded as one cargo item W (loading position calculation step).

Referring to Figures 1, 14, and 21, the position where the luggage W is loaded onto the loading platform 7 is calculated by the processor 55 based on the detection signal of the luggage compartment length measuring mechanism 50. The longitudinal positions of the front wall 4 and rear wall 5 detected by the luggage compartment length measuring mechanism 50, the height of the floor of the loading platform 7, the depth D, etc. are stored in the memory 116c. The loading position of the luggage W is calculated based on the left-right center line S of the loading platform 7 and the front-rear reference lines U1, U2, U3, etc.

Referring to Figures 1, 14, and 21, the center line S in the left-right direction of the loading platform 7 is calculated by the calculation processor 55 based on the depth D stored in the memory 116c. Specifically, first, the distance between the right end (near end) of the front wall 4 or loading platform 7 and the left wall 8 (rear face) at the front of the loading compartment 2 is calculated as the depth D. At the rear of the loading compartment 2, the distance between the right end (near end) of the rear wall 5 or loading platform 7 and the left wall 8 (rear face) is calculated as the depth D. The center line S is calculated by connecting the midpoint in the left-right direction of the depth D calculated at the front of the loading compartment 2 with the midpoint in the left-right direction of the depth D calculated at the rear of the loading compartment 2.

Referring to Figs. 1 and 21, the calculation processor 55 calculates the front-rear positions of the reference lines U1, U2, U3, etc. at a predetermined interval from the rear end of the front wall 4 based on the front-rear position of the front wall 4. The reference line U1 is spaced rearward from the rear end of the front wall 4 by a distance equal to the sum of half the length of the luggage W in the front-rear direction and the predetermined interval k1. The reference line U2 is spaced rearward from the reference line U1 by a distance equal to the sum of the length of the luggage W in the front-rear direction and the predetermined interval k2. The reference line U3 is spaced rearward from the reference line U2 by a distance equal to the sum of the length of the luggage W in the front-rear direction and the predetermined interval k2. The intervals k1 and k2 are default values according to the front-rear size of the luggage W or the pallet 11 and are stored in the memory 116c. Note that the reference lines U1, U2, U3, etc. may be calculated not only based on the rear end of the front wall 4, but also at a predetermined interval from the rear end of the rear wall 5 toward the front (lift operation control step).

As shown in FIG. 1, the forks 121 are moved to loading positions at intersections of the center line S and each of the reference lines U1, U2, U3, etc. The luggage loading device 10 moves the forks 121 so that the intermediate position C of the forks 121 is aligned with each of the intersections of the center line S and each of the reference lines U1, U2, U3, etc. The intermediate position C of the forks 121 indicates the intermediate position in the front-rear and left-right directions of the two luggage W held by the forks 121 (see FIG. 4). As a result, the two luggage W held by the forks 121 are placed on the loading platform 7 symmetrically left and right with respect to the center line S. The first two luggage W to be loaded are placed with a distance k1 between them in the front-rear direction relative to the rear end of the front wall 4. The luggage W adjacent to each other in the front-rear direction are placed with a distance k2 between them in the front-rear direction.

(Throwing of baggage W by throwing mechanism 60)
As shown in Fig. 1, luggage W can be carried onto the input conveyor 61 at any position, regardless of the position of the standby conveyor 21. The horizontal movement of the input conveyor 61 by the input moving mechanism 62 is performed independently of the horizontal movement of the standby conveyor 21 by the main moving mechanism 40. The input conveyor 61 is inputted into the input conveyor 61 at a desired position by the input moving mechanism 62, and then the input conveyor 61 is moved horizontally by the input moving mechanism 62 until it is positioned to the right side of the standby conveyor 21. When it is positioned to the right side of the standby conveyor 21, the chain conveyor mechanism is operated to input the luggage W onto the standby conveyor 21.

(Movement of the supply mechanism 20)
5 and 6, when the supply conveyor 22 moves to the standby position, one piece of luggage W is delivered from the input mechanism 60 to the upstream side of the standby conveyor 21. The luggage W delivered onto the standby conveyor 21 is transported toward the supply conveyor 22.

As shown in FIG. 6, the first piece of luggage W is transported onto the supply conveyor 22. After that, multiple pieces of luggage W (two pieces in FIG. 6) are loaded onto the waiting conveyor 21. When the first piece of luggage W is loaded onto the supply conveyor 22, the transport drive of the waiting conveyor 21 is temporarily stopped, and the multiple pieces of luggage W that have been loaded are placed on standby.

As shown in Figures 6 and 7, when the first piece of luggage W is carried onto the supply conveyor 22, the supply conveyor 22 is slid forward toward the supply position. The supply conveyor 22 is slid to the supply position and positioned to the left of the lift section 120. In this way, until the first piece of luggage W is supplied to the supply position, the upper and lower two-stage slide mechanisms 101, 102 of the lift mechanism 100 are held at the sliding rearward end. Therefore, the lift section 120 is retracted to the right rearward end position.

As shown in FIG. 21, the slide drive mechanism 22b is driven based on a command signal from a supply conveyor movement controller 116d provided in the control unit 116. The supply conveyor movement controller 116d transmits a command signal based on the command signal from the fork movement controller 116b so that the operation of the lift mechanism 100 and the operation of the supply conveyor 22 are mutually optimized.

(Movement of the lift mechanism 100)
As shown in Fig. 8, when the first luggage W reaches the supply position, the upper slide mechanism 102 is actuated to slide the upper slide base 104 toward the luggage compartment 2. This causes the lift unit 120 to approach the luggage W on the supply conveyor 22. The lower slide mechanism 101 continues to be stopped, and the lower slide base 103 is positioned at the right rear end position. The lift mechanism 106 and the tilt drive mechanism 111 are also stopped, the lift unit 120 is held at the initial height below, and the forks 121 are held in an approximately horizontal position.

As shown in FIG. 22, the first and second distance sensors 121e, 121f each detect the height from the upper surface of the lift base 41 to the lower surface of the fork horizontal portion 121b. Height data when the forks 121 are positioned at the initial height and are not holding any luggage W is stored in memory 116c (see FIG. 21). Detection of the initial height by the first and second distance sensors 121e, 121f is performed only once before the forks 121 hold the first luggage W to be supplied. Alternatively, the initial height may be detected every time, for example, before the first luggage W is supplied.

As shown in Figure 8, when the lift section 120 moves due to the operation of the upper slide mechanism 102, the two forks 121 are inserted into the fork insertion holes 11a of the pallet 11 (see Figure 22). At this stage, approximately half of the area on the tip side of the two forks 121 is inserted into almost the entire area of the fork insertion holes 11a. The amount of sliding of the lift section 120 is appropriately controlled to ensure this appropriate amount of insertion.

After the forks 121 are inserted appropriately into the first piece of luggage W as shown in Figures 8 and 9, the lift unit 120 is raised by the lifting mechanism 106 (see Figure 3). This causes the first piece of luggage W to be lifted from the supply conveyor 22. The lifted piece of luggage W, held by the forks 121 of the lift unit 120, is transported to the right from the supply conveyor 22 as the lift unit 120 moves to the right.

As shown in Figures 1, 9, and 10, a temporary placement table 115 is provided to the right of the supply position of the supply conveyor 22. The temporary placement table 115 is composed of a front temporary placement table 115a arranged at the front (right side in the figure) and a rear temporary placement table 115b arranged at the rear (left side in the figure). The distance between the front temporary placement table 115a and the rear temporary placement table 115b is set to a distance that allows one piece of luggage W to be placed across them. The first piece of luggage W transported to the right from the supply conveyor 22 is transferred onto the temporary placement table 115 by retracting the lift unit 120 to the slide end and returning it to the lower end by the lifting mechanism 106 (see Figure 3).

When the first piece of luggage W is temporarily placed on the temporary placement table 115 as shown in FIG. 10, the lowering end position of the lift section 120 is appropriately controlled so that the two forks 121 are suspended above the fork insertion holes 11a of the pallet 11 (not in contact with the pallet 11) (see FIG. 22). Therefore, the temporary placement height of the temporary placement table 115 matches the supply height of the supply conveyor 22.

As shown in FIG. 10, after the lift unit 120 is retracted to the slide end, the supply conveyor 22 is returned to the standby position. This prevents the fence 24 from interfering with the lift unit 120. The second baggage W is transported from the standby conveyor 21 to the supply conveyor 22 that has been returned to the standby position.

As shown in Figures 10 and 11, the supply conveyor 22 that has received the second piece of luggage W is again moved to the supply position. When the second piece of luggage W reaches the supply position, the lift section 120 is again slid to the left by the upper slide mechanism 102. This causes the two forks 121 to move toward the second piece of luggage W, as shown in Figure 11. The forks 121 are moved while remaining inserted into the fork insertion holes 11a of the first piece of luggage W that is temporarily placed on the temporary placement table 115. The tip ends of the two moved forks 121 are inserted into the fork insertion holes 11a of the second piece of luggage W (see Figure 22).

When it is confirmed that the two forks 121 are inserted into two luggage W adjacent to each other in the left-right direction as shown in FIG. 11, the lift unit 120 is raised by the lifting mechanism 106 (see FIG. 3). As a result, the first luggage W is lifted from the temporary placement table 115, and the second luggage W is lifted from the supply conveyor 22 (step (hereinafter abbreviated as ST) 01 in FIG. 25).

21 and 22, the first and second distance sensors 121e and 121f detect the height from the top surface of the lift base 41 to the bottom surface of the fork horizontal part 121b when two luggage W are lifted (ST02). The tilt angle calculator 116a calculates the tilt angle of the fork horizontal part 121b of the fork 121 with respect to the horizontal direction. The tilt angle of the fork horizontal part 121b is calculated based on the height data detected by the first and second distance sensors 121e and 121f and the mutual distance between the first and second distance sensors 121e and 121f stored in the memory 116c (ST03). The tilt drive mechanism (tilt mechanism) 111 tilts the fork 121 (ST04). The tip (left end) of the fork horizontal part 121b bends downward due to the weight of the luggage W. Therefore, the tilt drive mechanism 111 tilts the tip of the fork horizontal part 121b upward so that the fork horizontal part 121b is approximately horizontal.

As shown in Figures 21 and 22, the tilt angle calculator 116a calculates the tilt angle of the fork horizontal part 121b based on the detection signals of the first and second distance sensors 121e, 121f and the initial height of the fork 121. The initial height of the fork is stored in advance in the memory 116c when no luggage W is being held. When the fork horizontal part 121b is horizontal, the tilt angle taking into account the correction angle of the fork horizontal part 121b is set as the initial angle. The memory 116c stores the tilt angle of the fork 121 when the fork horizontal part 121b is at the initial angle (ST05).

As shown in FIG. 12, when the two pieces of luggage W are lifted, the lift unit 120 is temporarily returned to the sliding rear end. With the lift unit 120 returned, the supply conveyor 22 is returned to the standby position. After the two pieces of luggage W are thus held by the two forks 121, the lifting mechanism 106 raises the lift unit 120 to a position higher than the floor surface of the loading platform 7 (ST06). The upper slide mechanism 102 and the lower slide mechanism 101 cooperate to slide leftward to move the lift unit 120 through the opening 3 to the upper area (loading position) of the floor surface of the loading platform 7 (ST08, see FIG. 3). In addition, by operating the main movement mechanism 40, the lift mechanism 100 and the supply mechanism 20 move together in the forward and backward directions toward the loading position.

As shown in Figures 21 and 23, when the lift unit 120 moves to an area above the floor of the platform 7, the first and second distance sensors 121e and 121f detect the height from the floor of the platform 7 (ST08). The height to the floor of the platform 7 is stored in the memory 116c. The tilt angle calculator 116a calculates the tilt angle of the floor of the platform 7 based on the detection signals of the first and second distance sensors 121e and 121f (ST09). The tilt drive mechanism 111 tilts the forks 121 so that the fork horizontal parts 121b are parallel to the floor of the platform 7 based on the tilt angle of the floor (ST10).

Referring to Figures 21 and 23, the lifting mechanism 106 lowers the lift section 120 based on the height to the floor surface of the loading platform 7 stored in the memory 116c (ST11). First, the pallet 11 is placed on the floor surface of the loading platform 7 (ST12). The lifting mechanism 106 then lowers the lift section 120 until the fork horizontal section 121b is positioned approximately at the center of the height of the fork insertion hole 11a (ST13, see Figures 3 and 24). The fork horizontal section 121b is released from the weight of the luggage W by lowering the lift section 120 and placing the luggage W on the loading platform 7. This causes the tip side of the bent fork horizontal section 121b to tilt upward.

21 and 24, the tilt drive mechanism 111 tilts the fork horizontal part 121b based on the tilt angle stored in the memory 116c in ST05 (ST14). The tilt drive mechanism 111 tilts the tip of the fork horizontal part 121b downward by the same amount as the tilt angle stored in the memory 116c in ST05. This makes the fork horizontal part 121b approximately parallel to the floor surface of the loading platform 7 (ST15). The upper slide mechanism 102, the lower slide mechanism 101, and the lift mechanism 106 cooperate to lift and lower the lift part 120 backward (rightward) in the approach/removal direction or up and down. Based on the detection signals of the first and second distance sensors 121e and 121f, the lift part 120 is moved approximately to the right so that the height of the lower surface of the fork horizontal part 121b relative to the floor surface of the loading platform 7 is approximately constant. This allows the fork horizontal part 121b to be removed from the fork insertion hole 11a without hitting the upper and lower surfaces of the fork insertion hole 11a (ST16). Thus, the fork horizontal part 121b is removed from the fork insertion hole 11a (ST17). This allows the lift part 120 to retreat from the area above the platform 7.

21 and 24, the fork horizontal part 121b may be removed from the fork insertion hole 11a without using the first and second distance sensors 121e and 121f. The fork movement controller 116b sends a command signal to the upper slide mechanism 102, the lower slide mechanism 101, and the lift mechanism 106 based on the inclination angle of the floor surface of the platform 7 stored in the memory 116c. The upper slide mechanism 102, the lower slide mechanism 101, and the lift mechanism 106 work together to move the fork horizontal part 121b at the floor angle parallel to the floor surface of the platform 7. This allows the fork horizontal part 121b to be moved parallel to the floor surface of the platform 7 without sensing. Therefore, the fork horizontal part 121b can be quickly removed from the fork insertion hole 11a.

Figure 1 shows the vehicle 1 stopped in a normal position where there is almost no horizontal tilt of the luggage compartment 2. In this normal position, the opening 3 is positioned approximately parallel to the direction of movement of the main movement mechanism 40. On the other hand, as shown in Figure 26, there are cases where the vehicle 1 is stopped with the luggage compartment 2 tilted horizontally relative to the forward/rearward direction in which the main movement mechanism 40 moves.

Referring to Figures 18, 19, and 21, the calculation processor 55 calculates the horizontal inclination of the luggage compartment 2 based on the signals from the upper and lower distance sensors 53, 54 at the leading edge position, the signals from the upper and lower distance sensors 53, 54 at the trailing edge position, and the horizontal distance between the leading edge position and the trailing edge position. The horizontal inclination of the luggage compartment 2 corresponds to the horizontal inclination of the opening 3 and the loading platform 7. The calculation processor 55 compares the horizontal inclination of the luggage compartment 2 with a tolerance value previously stored in the memory 116c. If the horizontal inclination of the luggage compartment 2 exceeds the previously defined tolerance value, the calculation processor 55 transmits a signal to a warning means such as a warning light or a warning buzzer. The warning means that receives the signal issues a warning, and the driver is instructed to correct the parking position of the vehicle 1.

21 and 26, when the luggage compartment 2 is inclined horizontally within the tolerance range, adjacent luggage W are arranged with a left-right shift from each other. The loading position of the luggage W is calculated based on the center line S and the reference lines U1, U2, U3, etc. The calculation processor 55 calculates the depth D in the same way as when the vehicle 1 is stopped in the normal position. Specifically, the depth D is calculated at the front and rear of the luggage compartment 2. The center line S is calculated by connecting the left-right midpoint of the depth D calculated at the front of the luggage compartment 2 with the left-right midpoint of the depth D calculated at the rear of the luggage compartment 2. The center line S calculated in this way extends parallel to the inclination direction of the luggage compartment 2, which is inclined horizontally with respect to the normal position. The calculation processor 55 calculates the reference lines U1, U2, U3, etc. in the same way as when the vehicle 1 is stopped in the normal position. That is, the calculation processor 55 calculates the front-to-rear positions of the reference lines U1, U2, U3, etc. at predetermined intervals rearward from the intersection of the rear end of the front wall portion 4 and the center line S.

21 and 26, the luggage loading device 10 moves the forks 121 so that the intermediate positions C of the forks 121 are aligned with the intersections of the center line S and each of the reference lines U1, U2, U3, etc. As a result, the first two luggage W to be loaded are placed with a distance k1 in the fore-and-aft direction relative to the center of the rear end of the front wall 4. The luggage W adjacent to each other in the fore-and-aft direction are placed with a distance k2 in the fore-and-aft direction. Furthermore, the luggage W adjacent to each other in the fore-and-aft direction are placed with a shift in the left-right direction by a distance d based on the horizontal inclination angle of the luggage compartment 2. Thus, even if the luggage compartment 2 is inclined horizontally relative to the normal position, the luggage W can be loaded approximately evenly onto the loading platform 7 using the luggage loading device 10.

As described above, the luggage loading device 10 has the fork 121 that holds luggage as shown in Fig. 3, a lower slide mechanism 101 and an upper slide mechanism 102 that move the fork 121 in the approach/removal direction toward or away from the loading platform 7, and a lifting mechanism 106 that raises and lowers the fork 121. The luggage loading device 10 has a tilt drive mechanism 111 that tilts the fork 121 so that the tip (left end) of the fork 121 in the approach/removal direction moves up and down relative to the base end of the fork 121, and first and second distance sensors 121e, 121f provided on the fork 121 to obtain the downward distance from the fork 121 positioned above the loading platform 7 to the floor surface of the loading platform 7. The luggage loading device 10 has a floor surface inclination angle calculator 116a that calculates the inclination angle of the floor surface of the loading platform 7 based on signals from the first and second distance sensors 121e, 121f, and a fork movement controller 116b that operates at least one of the lower slide mechanism 101, the upper slide mechanism 102, the lift mechanism 106, and the inclination drive mechanism 111 based on the inclination angle of the floor surface of the loading platform 7 to move the fork 121 according to the inclination angle of the floor surface.

Therefore, the forks 121 can be tilted or moved according to the inclination angle of the floor surface of the loading platform 7. This prevents interference between the floor surface of the loading platform 7 and the luggage W or between the floor surface of the loading platform 7 and the forks 121. Furthermore, the luggage W can be placed on the floor surface of the loading platform 7 in a stable position. Moreover, the height and inclination angle of the floor surface can be calculated during loading or unloading operations. The height and inclination angle of the floor surface change every time luggage W is loaded or unloaded. Therefore, the height and inclination angle of the floor surface, which change easily, can be calculated every time luggage W is loaded or unloaded. This allows luggage to be loaded onto or unloaded from the loading platform 7 with high accuracy.

As shown in FIG. 3, the fork 121 has a fork horizontal part 121b that is long in the approach/removal direction. The distance sensors 121e and 121f include a first distance sensor 121e and a second distance sensor 121f that are arranged on the fork horizontal part 121b so as to be aligned in the longitudinal direction of the fork horizontal part 121b. Therefore, the (floor surface) inclination angle calculator 116a can calculate the inclination angle of the floor surface in the approach/removal direction based on the signals from the two distance sensors 121e and 121f and the distance between the two distance sensors 121e and 121f. Therefore, the fork horizontal part 121b can be tilted or moved quickly or appropriately according to the inclination angle of the floor surface. Moreover, the distance between the two distance sensors 121e and 121f is relatively long in the longitudinal direction of the fork horizontal part 121b. Therefore, the inclination angle of the floor surface can be calculated with high accuracy. This allows the fork horizontal part 121b to be tilted or moved more appropriately according to the inclination angle of the floor surface.

Referring to Figures 21 and 23, the fork 121 holding the luggage W is moved by the lifting mechanism 106 to a position higher than the floor surface of the platform 7. The fork 121 is moved toward the platform 7 by the slide mechanisms 101 and 102 to an upper area of the floor surface. The fork 121 is lowered by the lifting mechanism 106 to place the luggage W on the floor surface. When removing the fork 121 from the luggage W, the lifting mechanism 106, the lower slide mechanism 101, and the upper slide mechanism 102 are operated to move the fork 121 parallel to the floor surface.

Therefore, by moving the forks 121 parallel to the floor of the loading platform 7, the forks 121 can be removed from the luggage W without interfering with the luggage W placed on the loading platform 7 or the floor of the loading platform 7. For example, the forks 121 are removed parallel to the floor of the loading platform 7 based on signals from distance sensors 121e, 121f provided on the forks 121. At this time, the forks 121 can be removed after confirming that they are parallel to the floor of the loading platform 7. This allows the forks 121 to be removed appropriately from the luggage W. Alternatively, the inclination angle of the floor is calculated, and the lifting mechanism 106 and the sliding mechanisms 101, 102 are driven based on the inclination angle of the floor. In this case as well, the forks 121 can be removed appropriately from the luggage W.

As shown in Figures 21 and 23, the control unit 116 calculates the inclination angle of the floor surface of the loading platform 7 based on signals from the distance sensors 121e, 121f. Therefore, the inclination angle and movement direction of the forks 121 that are parallel to the floor surface of the loading platform 7 can be grasped. Moreover, the inclination angle of the floor surface of the loading platform 7 can be calculated during loading work based on signals from the distance sensors 121e, 121f provided on the forks 121. Therefore, the forks 121 can be moved appropriately when loading the luggage W onto the loading platform 7 or when removing the forks 121 from the luggage W.

As shown in Figures 21 and 23, before placing the luggage W on the floor surface, the control unit 116 of the luggage loading device 10 tilts the forks 121 by the tilt drive mechanism 111 from an initial angle to a floor surface angle at which the forks 121 are approximately parallel to the floor surface in accordance with the inclination angle of the floor surface. Therefore, the luggage W can be placed on the floor surface of the loading platform 7 so that the bottom surface of the luggage W is approximately parallel to the floor surface of the loading platform 7. Therefore, the luggage W can be placed on the loading platform 7 in a stable position.

21 and 22, the control unit 116 inserts the fork 121 into the fork insertion hole 11a of the pallet 11 on which the luggage W is placed by using the lower slide mechanism 101 and the upper slide mechanism 102. The control unit 116 raises the fork 121 by using the lifting mechanism 106. The control unit 116 tilts the fork 121 by using the tilt drive mechanism 111 so that the fork 121 is at an initial angle that is approximately horizontal based on signals from the first and second distance sensors 121e and 121f provided on the fork 121. The tilt angle at which the fork 121 is tilted is stored in the memory 116c. Therefore, when the fork 121 holds the luggage W, the tip side of the fork 121 is tilted upward by the tilt drive mechanism 111 taking into account the deflection due to the weight of the luggage W. As a result, the fork 121 is held at an initial angle that is approximately horizontal. Therefore, the fork 121 can transport luggage in a stable position.

Referring to Figures 21 and 22, when placing the luggage W on the floor and removing the fork 121 from the fork insertion hole 11a, the control unit 116 uses the tilt angle stored in the memory 116c to tilt the fork 121 by the tilt drive mechanism 111 so that the fork 121 is parallel to the floor.

That is, when the luggage W is placed on the floor surface of the loading platform 7, the weight of the luggage W is released from the forks 121. As a result, the tips of the forks 121 are tilted upward from the floor surface. This tilt of the forks 121 is related to the tilt angle of the forks 121 when the luggage is lifted by the forks 121. Therefore, the forks 121 can be quickly returned to the floor surface angle by lowering the tips of the forks based on the stored tilt angle. As a result, the forks 121 can be removed from the fork insertion holes 11a in a state parallel to the floor surface. Thus, the forks 121 can be removed from the fork insertion holes 11a without interfering with the luggage W.

As shown in FIG. 26, the control unit 116 calculates the vehicle inclination, which is the difference between the direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the loading platform 7 and the approach/separation direction in which the forks 121 are moved toward or away from the loading platform 7 by the slide mechanisms 101, 102, based on signals from distance sensors 53, 54 (see FIG. 13) that detect the position of the vehicle 1. The control unit 116 determines the position of the luggage W in the approach/separation direction on the floor surface of the loading platform 7 according to the vehicle inclination. The control unit 116 shifts the luggage W, which are placed in parallel along the longitudinal direction of the loading platform 7, in order in the approach/separation direction.

Therefore, multiple pieces of luggage W are placed in a sequentially shifted manner in the approaching/separating direction according to the inclination of the vehicle. Therefore, the luggage W can be loaded onto the loading platform 7 by moving, raising, lowering or tilting the forks 121 in the approaching/separating direction using the lifting mechanism 106, the slide mechanisms 101, 102 and the tilt drive mechanism 111. In other words, even if the vehicle is inclined, multiple pieces of luggage W can be loaded side by side onto the loading platform 7 without rotating the forks 121 horizontally. This simplifies the movement of the forks 121. This allows the luggage W to be loaded efficiently.

Various modifications can be made to the above-described embodiment. For example, the lift unit 120 is exemplified to hold two pieces of luggage W at the same time and load them into the luggage compartment 2. Alternatively, the present embodiment can be similarly applied to hold one piece of luggage W at a time or hold three or more pieces of luggage W and load them at once, or to unload them from the luggage compartment 2. When the lift unit 120 holds one piece of luggage W at a time, the temporary storage table 115 can be omitted. When the lift unit 120 holds three or more pieces of luggage W at a time, multiple temporary storage tables 115 may be provided in the left and right directions, or the temporary storage table 115 may be extended long in the left and right directions. In addition to loading luggage W into the luggage compartment 2 of a vehicle, the present embodiment can also be applied to unloading luggage W from the luggage compartment 2 by performing the operation of the luggage loading device 10 exemplified in a generally reverse manner.

The example shows a luggage loading device 10 in which luggage W is placed on a pallet 11 having fork insertion holes 11a, and forks 121 are inserted into the fork insertion holes 11a to transport the luggage W and the pallet 11. Alternatively, a fork insertion hole for inserting the fork 121 into the luggage W may be provided, and the fork 121 may transport the luggage W directly.

A structure in which the first distance sensor 121e and the second distance sensor 121f are provided on each of the two forks 121 has been exemplified. Alternatively, for example, the first distance sensor 121e and the second distance sensor 121f may be provided on only one of the forks 121. Alternatively, the first distance sensor 121e may be provided on one of the forks 121, and the second distance sensor 121f may be provided on the other fork 121.

The fork 121 is tilted by the tilt drive mechanism 111 so that the fork horizontal part 121b is approximately horizontal when lifting the placed luggage W, and the tilt angle is stored in the memory 116c. The fork horizontal part 121b is tilted to the floor angle when removing the fork horizontal part 121b from the fork insertion hole 11a using the stored tilt angle. Alternatively, the height from the top surface of the lift base 41 detected by the first and second distance sensors 121e and 121f may be stored in the memory 116c. The amount of tilt of the fork horizontal part 121b can be calculated by using the height detected by the first and second distance sensors 121e and 121f. The calculated amount of tilt of the fork horizontal part 121b can be used to tilt the fork horizontal part 121b to the floor angle when removing the fork horizontal part 121b from the fork insertion hole 11a.

The inclination angle of the horizontal fork portion 121b when removing it from the fork insertion hole 11a may be slightly larger or smaller than the inclination angle of the floor surface of the loading platform 7, depending on the size of the opening of the fork insertion hole 11a.

When removing the fork horizontal part 121b from the fork insertion hole 11a, the lower slide mechanism 101 and the upper slide mechanism 102 may cooperate to move the lift part 120 in the horizontal direction. Alternatively, only the upper slide mechanism 102 may be driven to move the lift part 120 in the horizontal direction. This reduces the weight of the moving parts, allowing the fork horizontal part 121b to be removed with high precision from the fork insertion hole 11a.

T... truck area R... road surface P... device area Q... device installation surface E... boundary W... luggage C... intermediate position S... (left-right) center line U1, U2, U3... (front-rear) reference line 1... vehicle, 1a... cabin 2... luggage compartment 3... opening 4... front wall portion (front edge)
5...Rear wall (rear edge)
6...Ceiling 7...Cargo platform (floor)
8...Left side wall 10...Loading device 11...Pallet, 11a...Fork insertion hole 20...Supply mechanism 21...Waiting conveyor, 21a...Chain conveyor mechanism 22...Supply conveyor, 22a...Slide rail, 22b...Slide drive mechanism 23, 24...Fence 40...Main movement mechanism 41...Lift base 42...Rail 43...Drive mechanism 44...Electric motor 45...Rack and pinion mechanism 50...Luggage compartment length measuring mechanism 51...Support column 52...Lifting column 53...Distance sensor (upper side)
54...Distance sensor (lower side)
55...Computer processing machine 56...Lifting drive mechanism 60...Feeding mechanism 61...Feeding conveyor 62...Feeding movement mechanism 63...Rail 100...Lift mechanism 101...Lower slide mechanism 102...Upper slide mechanism 103...Lower slide base 104...Upper slide base 105...Roller 106...Lifting mechanism 107...Lifting base 108...Lifting drive unit 109...Tilting frame 110...Tilting support shaft 111...Tilt drive mechanism (tilt mechanism)
115: temporary placement table, 115a: front temporary placement table, 115b: rear temporary placement table 116: control unit, 116a: (floor surface) inclination angle calculator, 116b: fork movement controller 116c: memory, 116d: supply conveyor movement controller 116e: standby conveyor drive controller, 116f: lift base movement controller 116g: lifting column controller 120: lift unit 121: fork 121a: fork mast, 121b: fork horizontal unit 121c: detection sensor, 121d: stopper 121e: first distance sensor, 121f: second distance sensor 122: infrared sensor

Claims (7)

A luggage loading device that performs at least one of an operation of loading luggage onto a luggage bed of a vehicle and an operation of unloading luggage from the luggage bed,
Forks to hold luggage;
A fork horizontal portion that is provided on the fork and is long in a direction in which the fork approaches or moves away from the platform;
a slide mechanism that moves the forks in the approaching and separating directions;
A lifting mechanism for lifting and lowering the forks;
a tilt mechanism that tilts the forks so that the tips of the forks in the approaching and separating direction move up and down relative to the base ends of the forks;
a distance sensor provided on the fork for obtaining a downward distance from the fork positioned above the loading platform to a floor surface of the loading platform;
a first distance sensor and a second distance sensor arranged on the fork horizontal portion so as to be aligned in a longitudinal direction of the fork horizontal portion as the distance sensors;
a floor surface inclination angle calculator for calculating an inclination angle of the floor surface of the platform with respect to a lower surface of the fork horizontal portion based on signals from the first distance sensor and the second distance sensor ;
A luggage loading device having a fork movement controller that operates at least one of the slide mechanism, the lift mechanism, and the tilt mechanism based on the inclination angle of the floor surface to move the forks in accordance with the inclination angle of the floor surface. A method for loading luggage into a luggage bed of a vehicle using a luggage loading device, comprising the steps of:
The forks holding the cargo are moved to a position higher than the floor surface of the cargo platform by a lifting mechanism;
The forks are moved toward and away from the platform by a slide mechanism to move the forks to an upper area of the floor surface;
The forks are lowered by the lifting mechanism to place the load on the floor surface;
A luggage loading method in which, when the forks are removed from the luggage , the lifting mechanism and the sliding mechanism cooperate to move the forks parallel to the floor surface based on a signal detected by two distance sensors provided on the forks and spaced apart in the direction in which the forks are removed, which detect the distance from the forks to the floor surface. 3. A method for loading luggage as claimed in claim 2 , comprising the steps of:
A luggage loading method, in which a control unit calculates the inclination angle of the floor surface relative to the underside of the fork horizontal portion based on signals from a first distance sensor and a second distance sensor provided on the fork horizontal portion of the fork as the distance sensors. A method for loading luggage according to claim 3 , comprising the steps of:
The control unit tilts the forks using a tilt mechanism from an initial angle to a floor surface angle at which the forks are approximately parallel to the floor surface, in accordance with the inclination angle of the floor surface, before placing the luggage on the floor surface. A method for loading luggage as claimed in claim 4 , comprising the steps of:
The control unit is
The forks are inserted into the fork insertion holes of the luggage or the fork insertion holes of the pallet on which the luggage is placed by the slide mechanism,
The lifting mechanism lifts the forks relative to a placement surface on which the luggage or the pallet is placed ,
a tilt mechanism for tilting the forks to an initial angle that is approximately horizontal and approximately parallel to the loading surface based on signals from the first distance sensor and the second distance sensor provided on the forks, and a tilt angle at which the forks are tilted relative to the loading surface is stored in a memory. 6. A method for loading luggage as claimed in claim 5 , comprising the steps of:
The control unit, when placing the luggage on the floor surface and removing the fork from the fork insertion hole, uses the tilt angle stored in the memory to tilt the fork so as to be parallel to the floor surface using the tilt mechanism. A method for loading luggage according to any one of claims 2 to 6,
The control unit of the luggage loading device
a lift base on which the vehicle distance sensor is mounted is moved by a main moving mechanism to a first position and a second position in a front-rear direction perpendicular to the approaching/leaving direction and perpendicular to the up-down direction;
causing the vehicle distance sensor to detect a horizontal distance between the loading platform at the first position and the loading platform at the second position in the approach/separation direction;
Calculating a vehicle inclination, which is an angle difference between a longitudinal direction of the loading platform and the front-rear direction, based on the detection signal of the vehicle distance sensor at the first position and the second position and the distance by which the main movement mechanism has moved the lift base ;
determining a position of the luggage in the approach/removal direction relative to the floor surface of the loading platform in accordance with the vehicle inclination;
A method for loading luggage, comprising shifting the luggage placed in parallel in the longitudinal direction of the loading platform in order in the approaching/separating direction.

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