JP7639666B2 - Container transfer device and transfer system - Google Patents

Description

This disclosure relates to a container transfer device and a transfer system.

Conventionally, there is a device for stuffing items into a container, which uses an item gripping device to grip, for example, food items transported on a transport conveyor, and stores the food items in a container in a line. A container for stuffing multiple items of such food items is called a "banju" in the industry, or is a transport container also called a "container."
The article transfer device disclosed in the following Patent Document 1 includes a conveying unit that sends articles, such as food, to a work area to be packed in a container, a supply unit that supplies containers to the work area, a robot that stores the articles sent to the work area in a container, a discharge unit that discharges the container in which the articles are stored by the robot from the work area, and a control unit that controls the supply unit and the discharge unit. The work area is divided into a first work area and a second work area. While the robot is storing articles in a container in one work area, the control unit controls the discharge unit to discharge the container in which the articles are stored from the other work area and controls the supply unit to supply a new container to the work area. When containers for storing articles are stacked in the same direction, they can be densely stacked (called nesting), and when they are alternately turned, they can be stacked while leaving space inside for storing articles (called stacking). A de-stacker that takes out containers one by one from densely stacked, i.e., nested, stacked containers is connected to the supply unit. A stacking device is connected to the discharge section, which stacks containers containing goods one level at a time, leaving space inside to store goods. The destacking device has a rotating plate that changes the orientation of an empty container by 180 degrees. The destacking device is provided with a sensor (not shown) that detects the orientation of the container on the roller conveyor, and when the detection signal indicates that the orientation of the container needs to be changed, the rotating plate lifts the container, rotates it 180 degrees, and then lowers it onto the roller conveyor.

JP 2017-095282 A

Patent Document 1 claims to provide a compact article transfer device that can be introduced into existing lines that have become cramped, but the rotating plate of the de-stack device equipped in the article transfer device disclosed in Patent Document 1 rotates the containers at a position directly below the stacked containers. In this de-stack device, it is necessary to place the support pillars at a position away from the rotation center of the rotating plate so that the support pillars for supporting the stacked containers do not come into contact with the containers rotated by the rotating plate. And since there are originally two work areas, the robot actually works only on one side, and the other side is left empty and requires wasted space to wait. And a space larger than the arm length from the fulcrum of the robot that swings between the two work areas is required. For this reason, there is a problem that the article transfer device is easily made large and requires a large installation space. In addition, the supply and discharge sections are located on the lower level of the work area as a common passageway, with empty containers being lifted up into the work area from below, and containers full of goods being lowered down to be discharged. This means that the routes are inherently intersecting, making the layout highly susceptible to collision accidents between containers.

This disclosure has been made to solve the problems described above, and aims to provide a container transfer device and transfer system that is advantageous in terms of space saving, is compact, and has a low probability of collision accidents due to the simple one-way container transport path.

The container transfer device according to the present disclosure includes a de-stack area capable of receiving containers stacked in a nested state on a cart, an inversion area adjacent in plan to the de-stack area, a working area adjacent in plan to the inversion area and diagonally positioned to the de-stack area, a stacking area adjacent in plan to both the de-stack area and the working area and diagonally positioned to the inversion area, de-stack means for lifting all of the multiple containers stacked on the cart in the de-stack area with a lifting unit, separating only the bottom container, and lifting the multiple containers with the lifting unit by grasping the container directly above, thereby extracting one container as a de-stacked container, a first transport means for entering under all of the multiple containers lifted by the lifting unit, placing the de-stacked container extracted by the de-stack means, and transporting it horizontally from the de-stack area to the inversion area, and an inversion unit. The stacking area is equipped with an inversion means for inverting the orientation of the loose containers as necessary so that they are oriented in an orientation that allows them to be stacked in a stacked state, a second transport means for transporting the loose containers horizontally from the inversion area to the work area, a third transport means for transporting the loose containers horizontally from the work area to the stacking area, and a stacking means for stacking the containers in a stacked state in the stacking area and finally placing all of the multiple containers in the stacked state on another cart, wherein the inversion area and the stacking area have a lower frame which has no sides facing outward from both areas so that a cart can be inserted from the side, and the other outward sides are closed, and the lower frame has no support pillars at least between the inversion area and the work area, and has an upper frame which is supported by support pillars which are appropriately erected from the other outer edges of the lower frame.
The transfer system of the present disclosure comprises the above-mentioned container transfer device and a robot that grasps an item and places the item in a loose container in a work area, and the base of the robot is fixed to a position within a range directly above at least one of the inversion area and the work area.

This disclosure makes it possible to provide a container transfer device and transfer system that is advantageous in terms of space saving, is compact, and has a low probability of collision accidents due to the container transport path being simple and unidirectional.

1 is a front view of a container transfer device and a transfer system according to a first embodiment. FIG. FIG. 2 is a left side view of the transfer system according to the first embodiment. FIG. 2 is a right side view of the container transfer device according to the first embodiment. FIG. 2 is a right side view of the container transfer device according to the first embodiment. 1 is a plan view of a container transfer device and a transfer system according to a first embodiment. FIG. 1 is an elevation view of the lifting section, the lifting mechanism, and the support columns as viewed from the inside of the container transfer device. 1 is a front view of a portion of a container transfer device according to embodiment 1, the portion including a first transport means and an inversion means, etc. FIG. FIG. A left side view of a portion of the container transfer device according to embodiment 1, including a rotating table, a work table, a second transport means, etc. A left side view of a portion of the container transfer device according to embodiment 1, including a rotating table, a work table, a second transport means, etc. FIG. FIG. 1 is a front view of a portion of the container transfer device according to embodiment 1, including a third transport means, etc. FIG. 13 is a left side view of a portion of the container transfer device according to embodiment 1, including a third transport means, etc. FIG. FIG.

The following describes the embodiments with reference to the drawings. Common or corresponding elements in each drawing are given the same reference numerals, and the description is simplified or omitted. In each drawing, some components may be omitted for convenience of drawing. When angles are mentioned in this disclosure, in principle, when there are a reflex angle and a minor angle whose sum is 360 degrees, it refers to the minor angle, and in principle, when there are an acute angle and an obtuse angle whose sum is 180 degrees, it refers to the acute angle.

Embodiment 1.
FIG. 1 is a front view of the container transfer device 1 and the transfer system 12 according to embodiment 1. FIG. 2 is a left side view of the transfer system 12 according to embodiment 1. FIGs. 3 and 4 are right side views of the container transfer device 1 according to embodiment 1. FIG. 5 is a plan view of the container transfer device 1 and the transfer system 12 according to embodiment 1. FIGs. 3 and 4 are views seen from the opposite side to FIG. 2. In FIG. 1, some of the configuration of the container transfer device 1 is omitted. In FIG. 2, the container transfer device 1 is omitted.

The container transfer device 1 handles containers 95. The containers 95 correspond to transport containers or containers without lids. The containers 95 in this embodiment correspond to what is generally called "food containers." The multiple containers 95 on the right side of FIG. 3 are stacked in a "nesting state." The nesting state is a state in which multiple empty containers 95 are nested and stacked one on top of the other. The multiple containers 95 on the left side of FIG. 3 are stacked in a "stacking state." The stacking state is a state in which multiple containers 95 are stacked so that a space for storing items 90 is formed inside each container 95. When multiple containers 95 are stacked with the containers 95 oriented in the same direction, they are in a nesting state. When multiple containers 95 are stacked with the containers 95 oriented in a staggered manner, they are in a stacking state.

In this embodiment, the container 95 has an outer shape that is substantially rectangular in plan view. That is, the container 95 has long sides and short sides in plan view.

As shown in FIG. 5, in a plan view, the container transfer device 1 includes a de-staging area 2, an inversion area 3, a working area 4, and a stacking area 5. The inversion area 3 is adjacent to the de-staging area 2 in a plan view. In a plan view, the working area 4 is adjacent to the inversion area 3 and is diagonally positioned to the de-staging area 2 in a plan view. The stacking area 5 is adjacent to both the de-staging area 2 and the working area 4 in a plan view, and is diagonally positioned to the inversion area 3 in a plan view.

In a plan view, the shape of the area occupied by the container transfer device 1 is substantially rectangular. The rectangular area is divided vertically and horizontally into quarters, each of which corresponds to the de-staging area 2, the inversion area 3, the work area 4, and the stacking area 5. In this embodiment, the de-staging area 2, the inversion area 3, the work area 4, and the stacking area 5 are arranged together in this manner, which is advantageous in reducing the space occupied by the container transfer device 1 and enables space saving.

As shown in FIG. 3, the de-stack area 2 is an area capable of receiving a number of empty containers 95 stacked in a nested state. As in the illustrated example, the containers 95 stacked in a nested state may be brought into the de-stack area 2 while placed on a cart 96. The entrance through which the containers 95 stacked in a nested state are brought into the de-stack area 2 faces downward in FIG. 5.

The stacking area 5 is an area where containers 95 are stacked in a stacked state after items 90 are placed in the containers 95 in the work area 4. The exit through which the stacked containers 95 are transported out of the stacking area 5 faces downward in FIG. 5. As shown in FIG. 3, multiple stacked containers 95 may be placed on a cart 96 placed in the stacking area 5.

As shown in Figures 1 and 3, the lower frame 52 made of welded box steel forms a solid foundation below the container transfer device 1. As described below, in order to provide an upper frame 20 for suspending the robot 13 above an area including the reversal area 3 and the work area 4, the lower frame 52 serving as the foundation is made of box steel with a strength equal to or greater than that of the corresponding support columns 21. The lower frame 52 has its outward edges removed from the disassembly area 2 and stacking area 5 to accommodate the trolley 96. In other words, the lower frame 52 has a shape in which no steel is placed at the bottom of the rectangular area occupied by the container transfer device 1 in Figure 5, and the other outward edges are closed. As shown in FIG. 1, the columns 17, 18 and 49 in the unstacking area 2 and stacking area 5, other than the upper frame 20 that rigidly suspends the swinging heavy robot 13, can be thinner than the columns 21 because the lifting mechanism 16 is relatively independent and fixed to the lower frame 52. In the lower frame 52, at least the columns located between the reversal area 3 and the work area 4 are not erected. The upper frame 20 is supported by the columns 21 that are appropriately erected from the other outer edges of the lower frame 52.

The container transfer device 1 further includes a de-staging means 6, a first transport means 7, an inversion means 8, a second transport means 9, a third transport means 10, and a stacking means 11. The de-staging means 6 extracts one container 95 from the multiple containers 95 stacked in the de-staging area 2. In this disclosure, the container 95 extracted by the de-staging means 6 may be referred to as a "de-staging container 97."

The first transport means 7 transports the disassembled container 97 cut out by the disassembly means 6 from the disassembly area 2 to the inversion area 3. In the example of FIG. 5, the transport direction from the disassembly area 2 to the inversion area 3 is parallel to the long side of the disassembled container 97.

The inversion means 8 inverts the orientation of the disassembly container 97 in the inversion area 3 as necessary so that the orientation of the disassembly container 97 is such that it can be stacked in a stacked state.

The second transfer means 9 transfers the loose container 97 from the reversal area 3 to the work area 4. In the example of FIG. 5, the transfer direction from the reversal area 3 to the work area 4 is parallel to the short side of the loose container 97. As described below, in the work area 4, the robot 13 places the item 90 in the loose container 97.

The third transport means 10 transports the loose container 97 after the items 90 are placed inside from the work area 4 to the stacking area 5. In the example of FIG. 5, the transport direction from the work area 4 to the stacking area 5 is parallel to the long side of the loose container 97.

The stacking means 11 stacks the loose containers 97, i.e., containers 95, which have been transferred from the work area 4 to the stacking area 5 by the third transfer means 10, in a stacked state in the stacking area 5.

The rotation trajectory RT in FIG. 5 is a circle that corresponds to the trajectory of the outer edge of the disintegration container 97 as it rotates in the reversal area 3. The support pillars 21 provided on the container transfer device 1 or transfer system 12 are positioned away from the center of rotation of the disintegration container 97 so as not to come into contact with the rotation trajectory RT. Hereinafter, the radius of the rotation trajectory RT may be referred to as the "rotation radius of the disintegration container 97."

As shown in FIG. 4, the destacking means 6 includes a lifting unit 15 capable of gripping the container 95, and a lifting mechanism 16 for moving the lifting unit 15 vertically. The lifting unit 15 and the lifting mechanism 16 are provided on both sides of the container 95 in the destacking area 2. One of the lifting mechanisms 16 is attached to a support 17 installed at the boundary between the destacking area 2 and the stacking area 5. Support 18 is located across the destacking area 2 from the position of support 17. The other lifting mechanism 16 is attached to support 18. The lifting mechanism 16 may be, for example, one that uses a ball screw and a servo motor.

The lifting/lowering unit 15 has a claw that can move between a protruding position to engage with, for example, an upper flange portion or an upper recessed portion of the container 95, and a retracted position so as not to come into contact with the container 95. Figure 4 shows the lifting/lowering unit 15 gripping the container 95 by protruding the claw. For convenience of drawing, Figure 3 shows both the lifting/lowering unit 15 in a position where it has moved downward and the lifting/lowering unit 15 in a position where it has moved upward, but in reality, the disassembly means 6 has only one set of lifting/lowering units 15.

Now, unlike the present embodiment, a comparative example is assumed in which the disassembly container 97 is rotated in the disassembly area 2. In this comparative example, the lifting mechanism 16 and the support columns 17, 18 must be positioned so as not to come into contact with the rotation path of the disassembly container 97 when it rotates in the disassembly area 2. In other words, the shortest distance between the lifting mechanism 16 or the support columns 17, 18 and the center of the disassembly area 2 must be longer than the rotation radius of the disassembly container 97. This requires a long bracket in the horizontal direction to support the retractable claws, which unnecessarily makes the components thicker and heavier, and also makes the lifting mechanism 16 larger. Therefore, the comparative example tends to occupy a large area, making it difficult to save space.

In contrast to this, in the present embodiment, since there is no need to rotate the disassembly container 97 in the disassembly area 2, it is possible to position the lifting mechanism 16 and the supports 17, 18 closer to the center of the disassembly area 2 than in the above comparative example. For example, the shortest distance between the lifting mechanism 16 or the supports 17, 18 and the center of the disassembly area 2 can be made shorter than the rotation radius of the disassembly container 97, and it is also possible to arrange the claws of the supports 17, 18 of the lifting mechanism 16 that can quickly advance and retreat laterally. This is therefore more advantageous in reducing the footprint of the container transfer device 1, and further space saving can be achieved.

As shown in FIG. 1, the transfer system 12 according to the first embodiment includes a container transfer device 1 and a robot 13. The robot 13 has a robot arm 19 and a robot hand (not shown) provided at the tip of the robot arm 19. The robot 13 grasps an array of multiple items 90 with the robot hand, moves the robot arm 19, and displaces the array of items 90 by 90 degrees and places it in a disassembly container 97 in the work area 4. The disassembly container 97 in the work area 4 is placed on a work table 26.

The upper frame 20 is provided above an area including the reversal area 3 and the working area 4. The upper frame 20 is supported by pillars 21 arranged at least at its four corners. The robot 13 is provided so as to be suspended from the upper frame 20. The base 22 of the robot 13 is fixed to the upper frame 20 at a position within a range corresponding to directly above at least one of the areas of the reversal area 3 and the working area 4. In this way, in this embodiment, the robot 13 is installed above the reversal area 3 or the working area 4, which is above the space above the area where one loose container 97 moves in a plane, rather than the area where the stacked containers 95 are raised and lowered, so there is no need for a separate space to install the robot 13. This is more advantageous in reducing the area occupied by the transfer system 12, and further space saving can be achieved.

1 and 2, the transfer system 12 of this embodiment includes an alignment device 23 and a conveyor 24 that receives and introduces the items 90 carried on an upstream conveyor (not shown) from the outside of the transfer system 12 (the outside left side of FIG. 1). The items 90 flow from the upstream device of the transfer system 12 to the conveyor 24 of the transfer system 12 by the upstream conveyor (not shown) at a speed of, for example, about one item per second. The alignment device 23 aligns the items 90, which are cut one by one and arranged and transported by the conveyor 24, closely with the sides of the items 90 by the alignment conveyor 53 installed on the side perpendicular to the pusher. The items 90 may be, for example, rice balls, bread, sandwiches, bento boxes, sweets, vegetables, prepared foods, processed foods, etc., or products other than food. The robot hand of the robot 13 may, for example, grip the items 90 by vacuum suction or by scooping up the items 90, and grips the row of multiple items 90 without breaking them and lifts them into the air.

The alignment device 23 aligns the items 90 conveyed by the conveyor 24 along the "first direction" in FIG. 2. In the present embodiment, the transfer system 12 automatically packs the items 90 into the disintegration container 97 by repeatedly gripping the multiple items 90 aligned by the alignment device 23 with the robot hand of the robot 13, moving the robot arm 19, and moving the items 90 gripped by the robot hand into the disintegration container 97 in the work area 4. In the illustrated example, the longitudinal direction of the aligned multiple items 90 and the lateral direction of the disintegration container 97 on the work table 26 (the direction in which the aligned multiple items 90 are stored) are displaced by 90 degrees. Therefore, the aligned multiple items 90 by the robot 13 are rotated by 90 degrees, and the operating radius of the robot is increased. Not limited to this example, in the present disclosure, the robot hand of the robot 13 may grasp only one item 90 at a time, and the transfer system 12 may not be equipped with an alignment device 23.

The transfer system 12 includes a controller 50. The controller 50 controls the container transfer device 1 and the transfer system 12 to operate automatically. The controller 50 may include at least one memory and at least one processor. In the illustrated example, the controller 50 is installed on the upper frame 20. The alignment device 23 aligns multiple items 90 that have moved on the conveyor 24 in a row along a first direction. The first direction is perpendicular to the transport direction of the conveyor 24. In FIG. 2, the items 90 on the conveyor 24 are transported from left to right.

When the alignment device 23 has finished lining up the predetermined number of items 90, the robot arm 19 moves the robot hand in the air above it. The robot arm 19 then lowers the robot hand. The robot hand grasps the predetermined number of items 90 that the alignment device 23 has lined up in a row at once. In the example shown in the figure, the alignment device 23 lines up 10 items 90 in a row. The robot hand grasps 10 items 90 at a time. The robot arm 19 scoops up the items 90 that the robot hand has grasped vertically upward from the alignment device 23 and moves them through the air, then moves them into a loosening container 97 in the work area 4.

The transfer system 12 of this embodiment includes two alignment devices 23. With the transfer system 12 of this embodiment, while the robot 13 is moving the items 90 aligned by one alignment device 23 to the disassembly container 97 in the work area 4 using the robot hand by moving the robot arm 19, the other alignment device 23 can line up the items 90. This improves the speed at which the items 90 can be packed into the disassembly container 97 in the work area 4.

When the robot 13 has finished packing the items 90 into the loose container 97 in the work area 4, the third transfer means 10 transfers the loose container 97 from the work area 4 to the stacking area 5. When the loose container 97 is removed from the work area 4, the second transfer means 9 carries the next loose container 97 into the work area 4, and the robot 13 again performs the operation of packing the items 90 into the loose container 97 that has been carried in.

As shown in FIG. 4 and FIG. 5, the first transport means 7 in this embodiment includes a rotating table 25 that can move between the de-stack area 2 and the reversal area 3. FIG. 5 shows the state when the rotating table 25 moves to the de-stack area 2. When the rotating table 25 moves to the reversal area 3, the reversal means 8 can rotate the rotating table 25 by 180 degrees. After the first transport means 7 moves the rotating table 25 carrying the de-stack container 97 from the de-stack area 2 to the reversal area 3, if it is necessary to reverse the orientation of the de-stack container 97, the controller 50 controls the reversal means 8 to rotate the rotating table 25 by 180 degrees in the reversal area 3. This allows the orientation of the de-stack container 97 to be reliably changed as necessary so that the containers are stacked in a stacked state.

Figure 3 shows the state when 18 empty containers 95 stacked in a nested state are placed on a cart 96 and transported into the de-stack area 2. At this time, the rotating table 25 is located in the inversion area 3. From the state shown in Figure 3, the de-stack means 6 first lifts all of the stacked containers 95 from the cart 96 by lifting the lifting unit 15 while holding the bottommost container 95 with the lifting unit 15. Container 95A in Figure 3 corresponds to the position of the topmost container 95 when the de-stack means 6 lifts all of the 18 containers 95 stacked in a nested state. In the following description, the bottommost container 95 may be referred to as the "first tier," and the containers going up may be referred to as the second tier, third tier, and so on.

After the de-tiering means 6 lifts all the stacked containers 95, the first transport means 7 moves the rotating table 25 to the de-tiering area 2, where the rotating table 25 enters under the container 95 in the lowest tier. The de-tiering means 6 then lowers the lifting unit 15 to temporarily place all the stacked containers 95 on the rotating table 25. Next, the de-tiering means 6 temporarily retracts the claws of the lifting unit 15, then slightly raises the lifting unit 15, and again protrudes the claws of the lifting unit 15 to grip the containers 95 in the second tier with the lifting unit 15. The de-tiering means 6 then raises the lifting unit 15 again to lift all the containers 95 from the second tier onwards. Then, as shown in FIG. 4, the containers 95 in the lowest tier are separated from the containers 95 in the second tier and become de-tiered containers 97, remaining on the turntable 25. At this time, the second tier of containers 95 is at a height where it cannot come into contact with the loose containers 97. Note that in FIG. 4, the containers 95 from the third tier onwards are not shown. By repeating the same operation as above, the loosening means 6 can extract the stacked containers 95 one tier at a time from the bottom as loose containers 97.

From the state shown in FIG. 4, the first transport means 7 moves the turntable 25 to the reversal area 3, and the loose container 97 placed on the turntable 25 is transported from the loosening area 2 to the reversal area 3.

6 is an elevational view of the lifting unit 15, the lifting mechanism 16, and the support 18 from the inside of the container transfer device 1. As shown in FIG. 6, the disassembly means 6 in this embodiment is equipped with a color sensor 27 capable of identifying the color of the container 95. The color sensor 27 is attached to a support 28 other than the support 18 using a bracket. The container 95 is colored in a different color in each half, with the center of the long side as the boundary. Therefore, the orientation of the container 95 can be determined by identifying the color of a predetermined position of the container 95. The color sensor 27 is arranged so as to face a predetermined position of the container 95 held by the lifting unit 15 when the lifting unit 15 lifts the stacked containers 95. The controller 50 can determine the orientation of the next container 97 to be disassembled by the disassembly means 6 by detecting the color of the predetermined position of the container 95 to be next cut out by the disassembly means 6, i.e., the next disassembled container 97, using the color sensor 27. In this way, the controller 50 determines the orientation of the next loose container 97, and controls whether or not the reversing means 8 will reverse that loose container 97 in the reversing area 3.

Figure 7 is a front view of a portion of the container transfer device 1 according to embodiment 1, including the first transport means 7 and the inversion means 8. Figure 8 is a plan view of the turntable 25 and other components. Note that while Figure 7 shows both the turntable 25 in a position where it has been moved to the de-staging area 2 and the turntable 25 in a position where it has been moved to the inversion area 3, in reality there is only one turntable 25. Figure 7 also shows the position of the color sensor 27 mentioned above.

As shown in FIG. 7, the first transport means 7 includes a platform driver 29 that moves the rotating platform 25 between the de-staging area 2 and the reversal area 3. The platform driver 29 may be, for example, an air cylinder operated by air pressure or an electrically operated cylinder. It is operated in the left-right direction in FIG. 7. The reversal means 8 includes a rotary actuator 30 that can rotate the rotating platform 25 by 180 degrees. The rotary actuator 30 may be, for example, an air cylinder operated by air pressure. The rotary actuator 30 is connected to the rotating platform 25 and moves together with the rotating platform 25 between the de-staging area 2 and the reversal area 3. A plurality of balls 31 supported by a horizontal plate fixed to a column erected from the base side to which the platform driver 29 is connected contact the underside of the rotating platform 25 at a position away from the center of rotation of the rotating platform 25. As a result, the supported balls 31 roll and come into contact with each other, allowing the rotating platform 25 to rotate more smoothly.

A slide block 32 that can move parallel to the upper surface of the rotating table 25, and a block driver 33 that moves the slide block 32 are incorporated in the rotating table 25. The slide block 32 has a protrusion that can engage with the long side of the bottom of the loosening container 97 placed on the rotating table 25. The protrusion of the slide block 32 protrudes above the upper surface of the rotating table 25. The block driver 33 moves the slide block 32 in a direction parallel to the short side of the loosening container 97 placed on the rotating table 25. The slide block 32 and the block driver 33 correspond to a part of the second transfer means 9. The block driver 33 may be, for example, pneumatically operated.

A guide clamp 34 that can press the short sides of the bottom of the loosening container 97 placed on the rotating table 25, and a clamp drive unit 35 that moves the guide clamp 34 are built into the rotating table 25. The guide clamp 34 and the clamp drive unit 35 are provided for both short sides of the loosening container 97, respectively. The clamp drive unit 35 may be, for example, pneumatically operated.

Before the slide block 32 and block driver 33 move the disintegration container 97 placed on the rotating table 25 in a direction parallel to the short side of the disintegration container 97, the controller 50 moves both guide clamps 34 using both clamp drivers 35 to push the short sides of the disintegration container 97 from both sides. This ensures that the disintegration container 97 is positioned properly on the rotating table 25 in the direction parallel to the long side of the disintegration container 97. This ensures that the center of gravity of the disintegration container matches the center of rotation of the rotating table 25 even when the rotating table 25 is rotated, and the container will not shift or be thrown off due to, for example, a rotational force.

Figures 9 and 10 are left side views of the container transfer device 1 according to embodiment 1, including the rotating table 25, the work table 26, the second transfer means 9, etc. Figure 11 is a front view of the work table 26, etc. Figure 12 is a plan view of the work table 26, etc.

The height of the upper surface of the work table 26 is substantially equal to the height of the upper surface of the turntable 25. As shown in FIG. 12, the work table 26 has an arc-shaped cutout 36 formed therein to avoid contact with the turntable 25 when the turntable 25 rotates in the reversal area 3.

As shown in Figures 9 and 10, a slide block 37 that can move parallel to the upper surface of the workbench 26, a block drive unit 38 that moves the slide block 37, and a lift drive unit 39 that moves the slide block 37 together with the block drive unit 38 in the vertical direction are incorporated into the workbench 26. The slide block 37, the block drive unit 38, and the lift drive unit 39 correspond to a part of the second transport means 9. Each of the block drive unit 38 and the lift drive unit 39 may be operated, for example, by air pressure.

In this disclosure, the disintegration container 97 to be transferred by the second transfer means 9 may be referred to as the "first disintegration container 98." Also, the disintegration container 97 in the work area 4 may be referred to as the "second disintegration container 99."

Figures 9 and 10 show the state when the lifting drive unit 39 has moved the slide block 37 and the block drive unit 38 downward. In this state, the protruding portion of the slide block 37 is located below the upper surface of the workbench 26 and does not come into contact with the first disintegration container 98. When the lifting drive unit 39 moves the slide block 37 and the block drive unit 38 upward, the slide block 37 moves to the position indicated by the symbol "37A", and the protruding portion of the slide block 37 protrudes above the upper surface of the workbench 26 and becomes able to engage with the bottom of the first disintegration container 98.

In this embodiment, the second transfer means 9 performs a first transfer operation to transfer the first loosened container 98 to an intermediate position where the first loosened container 98 is adjacent to the second loosened container 99, and a second transfer operation to transfer the first loosened container 98 so that the first loosened container 98 at the intermediate position enters the work area 4 after the second loosened container 99 is removed from the work area 4 by the third transfer means 10. FIG. 10 shows the state where the second transfer means 9 performs the first transfer operation and before performing the second transfer operation. That is, FIG. 10 shows the first loosened container 98 at the intermediate position. Meanwhile, in FIG. 9, for convenience of drawing, only half of the first loosened container 98 at the intermediate position is shown.

The first transport operation of the second transport means 9 corresponds to an operation in which the block drive unit 33 moves the slide block 32 to push out the empty first disintegration container 98 from the reversal area 3 toward the work area 4. The reference numeral "32A" in FIG. 9 and FIG. 10 indicates the position of the slide block 32 before the first transport operation. The reference numeral "32B" in FIG. 9 and FIG. 10 indicates the position of the slide block 32 after the first transport operation. When the first transport operation is performed, as shown in FIG. 10, the empty first disintegration container 98 straddles both the rotating table 25 and the work table 26. This state corresponds to the "intermediate position" described above. During the first transport operation, the lift drive unit 39 moves the slide block 37 and the block drive unit 38 downward, and the slide block 37 does not come into contact with the first disintegration container 98.

After the first transfer operation, the second transfer means 9 moves the slide block 37 and the block drive unit 38 upward by the lift drive unit 39. As a result, the slide block 37 rises to the position indicated by the reference symbol "37A", and the protrusion of the slide block 37 is inserted into the recess in the bottom surface of the first disintegration container 98, which is located at an intermediate position. After that, when the robot 13 finishes packing the items 90 into the second disintegration container 99, the third transfer means 10 transports the second disintegration container 99 containing the items 90 from the work area 4 toward the stacking area 5. After the second disintegration container 99 containing the items 90 is transported out of the work area 4, the second transfer means 9 moves the slide block 37 by the block drive unit 38 from the position indicated by the reference symbol "37A" to the position indicated by the reference symbol "37B". As a result, the empty first loose container 98 that was in the middle position moves together with the slide block 37 into the work area 4, and becomes the second loose container 99 that will next receive the item 90. The operation of moving the first loose container 98 by the slide block 37 and the block drive unit 38 in the above manner corresponds to the second transfer operation of the second transfer means 9.

After the robot 13 has finished packing the second disassembly container 99 with the items 90 and the second disassembly container 99 containing the items 90 has been transported out of the work area 4 by the third transport means 10, the robot 13 cannot resume the operation of packing the items 90 until the empty first disassembly container 98 is transported into the work area 4 by the second transport means 9. In this regard, in the present embodiment, the second transport means 9 executes the first and second transport operations, thereby obtaining the following effects. While the robot 13 is packing the second disassembly container 99 with the items 90, the first transport operation is performed, so that the empty first disassembly container 98 has moved to an intermediate position adjacent to the second disassembly container 99. Therefore, immediately after the second disassembly container 99 containing the items 90 has been transported out of the work area 4 by the third transport means 10, the empty first disassembly container 98, which has already reached an intermediate position, can be quickly transported into the work area 4 by the second transport operation. This allows the robot 13 to resume packing the items 90 sooner, which is more advantageous in shortening the takt time.

As shown in Figs. 10 to 12, a twist cylinder 40 is installed on the workbench 26. The twist cylinder 40 moves a clamp arm 41. The clamp arm 41 is located on the stacking area 5 side of the second loose container 99 on the workbench 26. The clamp arm 41 moves to a position indicated by the symbol "41A" and a position indicated by the symbol "41B" in Fig. 10. When the clamp arm 41 is in the position indicated by the symbol "41B", the clamp arm 41 prevents the second loose container 99 from moving toward the stacking area 5. When the clamp arm 41 is in the position indicated by the symbol "41A", the second loose container 99 can move toward the stacking area 5 without hitting the clamp arm 41.

Figure 13 is a front view of a portion of the container transfer device 1 according to embodiment 1, including the third transfer means 10, etc. Figure 14 is a left side view of a portion of the container transfer device 1 according to embodiment 1, including the third transfer means 10, etc. As shown in these figures, the third transfer means 10 in this embodiment includes a moving platform 42 having an upper surface on which the loose container 97 is placed, and a platform drive unit 51 that moves the moving platform 42 between the work area 4 and the stacking area 5. For convenience of drawing, both the moving platform 42 at a position where it has been moved to the work area 4 and the moving platform 42 at a position where it has been moved to the stacking area 5 are depicted in Figure 13, but in reality, there is only one moving platform 42. Also, the upper surface of the moving platform 42 is omitted in Figure 13. The platform drive unit 51 may be, for example, pneumatically operated.

Figure 15 is a plan view of the movable table 42. As shown in Figures 14 and 15, the movable table 42 has a pair of elongated upper surfaces arranged in parallel. Each of the pair of upper surfaces of the movable table 42 extends along the direction of movement of the movable table 42, i.e., along a direction parallel to the long side of the disintegration container 97. A clamp 43 and a clamp drive unit 44 that moves the clamp 43 vertically are incorporated in the movable table 42 at a position between the pair of upper surfaces of the movable table 42 in a plan view. The clamp drive unit 44 may be operated, for example, by air pressure.

As shown in FIG. 13, the clamp 43 has a pair of protrusions 45 that protrude upward. When the clamp driver 44 moves the clamp 43 upward, the pair of protrusions 45 engage with the two short sides of the bottom of the loosening container 97 on the movable table 42 from both sides. This prevents the loosening container 97 on the movable table 42 from moving relative to the movable table 42.

The height of the top surface of the movable table 42 is slightly lower than the height of the top surface of the work table 26. When the movable table 42 moves to the work area 4, the top surface of the movable table 42 goes under the top surface of the work table 26. The left half of FIG. 14 shows a state in which the top surface of the movable table 42 goes under the top surface of the work table 26 and the disintegration container 97 is placed on the top surface of the work table 26. In contrast, the right half of FIG. 14 shows a state in which the disintegration container 97 is placed directly on the top surface of the work table 26.

When the movable platform 42 moves to the work area 4, the third transfer means 10 causes the clamp drive unit 44 to move the clamp 43 downward. In this state, when the movable platform 42 moves to the work area 4, the protrusion 45 of the clamp 43 does not come into contact with the disintegration container 97, i.e., the second disintegration container 99, placed on the work platform 26.

After the movable table 42 moves to the work area 4, the third transfer means 10 moves the clamp 43 upward using the clamp drive unit 44, thereby engaging the protrusion 45 with the bottom of the loosening container 97 on the work table 26.

After that, when the robot 13 finishes packing the items 90 into the disintegration container 97 on the work table 26, the third transfer means 10 moves the movable table 42 from the work area 4 toward the stacking area 5 by the table drive unit 51. At this time, the disintegration container 97 on the work table 26 is pushed by the protrusion 45 and slides on the work table 26, moving together with the movable table 42. As the upper surface of the movable table 42 appears from under the upper surface of the work table 26, the disintegration container 97 moves from a state of being placed on the upper surface of the work table 26 to a state of being placed directly on the upper surface of the movable table 42. In this way, in this embodiment, the disintegration container 97 can be smoothly and reliably transferred from the work table 26 to the movable table 42. As shown in FIG. 13, a short slope 46 is provided on the edge of the work table 26 on the stacking area 5 side to reduce the step when the disintegration container 97 is transferred from the upper surface of the work table 26 to the upper surface of the movable table 42.

As shown in FIG. 4, the stacking means 11 includes a lifting unit 47 capable of gripping a container 95, and a lifting mechanism 48 for moving the lifting unit 47 vertically. The lifting unit 47 and the lifting mechanism 48 are provided at positions on both sides of the container 95 in the stacking area 5. One of the lifting mechanisms 48 is attached to a support 17 installed at the boundary between the de-stacking area 2 and the stacking area 5. Support 49 is located across the stacking area 5 from the position of support 17. The other lifting mechanism 48 is attached to support 49. The lifting mechanism 48 may be, for example, one that uses a ball screw and a servo motor.

The lifting/lowering unit 47 has a claw that can move between a protruding position to engage with, for example, an upper flange portion or an upper recessed portion of the container 95, and a retracted position so as not to come into contact with the container 95. Figure 4 shows the lifting/lowering unit 47 gripping the container 95 by protruding the claw. For convenience of drawing, Figure 3 shows both the lifting/lowering unit 47 in a position where it has moved downward and the lifting/lowering unit 47 in a position where it has moved upward, but in reality, the stacking means 11 has only one set of lifting/lowering units 47.

Figure 3 shows the state when ten containers 95 stacked in a stacked state are placed on a dolly 96 and placed in the stacking area 5. In this state, the moving platform 42 is located in the work area 4. Container 95B in Figure 3 corresponds to the position of the topmost container 95 when the stacking means 11 lifts up all ten containers 95 stacked in a stacked state.

If there are containers 95 in the stacking area 5 before the third transfer means 10 transfers the containers 95 containing the items 90 in the work area 4 to the stacking area 5, the stacking means 11 grasps the lowest container 95 with the lifting unit 47 and raises the lifting unit 47, thereby lifting all of the containers 95 in the stacking area 5. The third transfer means 10 then moves the moving platform 42 to the stacking area 5. Then, as shown in FIG. 4, the container 95 on the moving platform 42 moves under the container 95 lifted up by the stacking means 11. Note that FIG. 4 shows the state when the second container 95 is brought into the stacking area 5.

From the state shown in FIG. 4, the stacking means 11 lowers the lifting unit 47 to place the container 95 held by the lifting unit 47 on top of the container 95 placed on the movable table 42. As described above, the containers 95 placed on the movable table 42 are oriented so that they overlap in a stacked state. Therefore, the containers 95 held by the lifting unit 47 are stacked on top of the containers 95 placed on the movable table 42 in a stacked state.

The stacking means 11 then temporarily retracts the claws of the lifting section 47, lowers the lifting section 47 to the position of the lowest container 95 on the moving platform 42, and then protrudes the claws of the lifting section 47 again. The stacking means 11 then raises the lifting section 47 to lift all of the containers 95 up from the moving platform 42. The third transfer means 10 then moves the now empty moving platform 42 from the stacking area 5 to the working area 4.

By repeating the above operations, the stacking means 11 can insert the containers 95 carried from the work area 4 to the stacking area 5 one by one into the lowest level, and can stack multiple containers 95 in a stacked state. When the number of containers 95 stacked in a stacked state reaches a predetermined number, the stacking means 11 places the stacked containers 95 on the cart 96.

1 Container transfer device, 2 De-stack area, 3 Reversal area, 4 Working area, 5 Stacking area, 6 De-stack means, 7 First transport means, 8 Reversal means, 9 Second transport means, 10 Third transport means, 11 Stacking means, 12 Transfer system, 13 Robot, 15 Lifting section, 16 Lifting mechanism, 17 Support, 18 Support, 19 Robot arm, 20 Upper frame, 21 Support, 22 Base, 23 Alignment device, 24 Conveyor, 25 Rotating table, 26 Working table, 27 Color sensor, 28 Support, 29 Table drive section, 30 Rotary actuator, 31 Ball, 32 Slide block, 33 Block drive section, 34 Guide clamp, 35 Clamp drive unit, 37 Slide block, 38 Block drive unit, 39 Lift drive unit, 40 Twist cylinder, 41 Clamp arm, 42 Moving platform, 43 Clamp, 44 Clamp drive unit, 45 Protrusion, 46 Slope, 47 Lift unit, 48 Lift mechanism, 49 Support, 50 Controller, 51 Platform drive unit, 52 Lower frame, 53 Alignment conveyor, 90 Article, 95 Container, 96 Cart, 97 Disassembly container, 98 First disassembly container, 99 Second disassembly container

Claims (5)

a de-stack area capable of receiving containers stacked in a nested state on a trolley;
an inversion area adjacent to the step-down area in a plane;
a working area adjacent to the inversion area in a plan view and diagonally opposite the de-staging area;
a stacking area adjacent to both the unstacking area and the working area in a plan view and diagonally opposite the inversion area;
a de-stack means for lifting the plurality of containers stacked on the cart in the de-stack area with a lifting unit, separating only the bottom container, and lifting the plurality of containers with the lifting unit by grasping the container directly above, thereby extracting one container as a de-stacked container;
a first transfer means for moving under all of the containers lifted by the lifting section, placing the de-staged containers cut out by the de-staged means thereon, and horizontally transferring the containers from the de-staged area to the inversion area;
In the inversion area, an inversion means for inverting the orientation of the loose container as necessary so that the orientation of the loose container is an orientation that allows the loose container to be stacked in a stacked state;
a second transfer means for horizontally transferring the loose container from the inversion area to the work area;
a third transfer means for horizontally transferring the loose container from the working area to the stacking area;
A stacking means for stacking the containers in a stacked state in the stacking area and finally placing the entire stacked state of the multiple containers on another cart;
Equipped with
The container transfer device is characterized in that the unstack area, together with the stacking area, has a lower frame which has no sides facing outward from either area so that a cart can be inserted from the side, and the other outward sides are closed, and the lower frame does not have any supporting pillars located at least between the inversion area and the work area, and has an upper frame supported by supporting pillars that are appropriately erected from the other outer edges of the lower frame. the first transport means includes a turntable movable between the de-staging area and the inversion area;
The reversing means is capable of rotating the turntable 180 degrees in the reversing area,
A container transfer device as described in claim 1, wherein after the first transport means moves the rotating table carrying the loose container from the de-stack area to the inversion area, if it is necessary to invert the orientation of the loose container, the inversion means rotates the rotating table 180 degrees in the inversion area. The container transfer device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the second transport means performs a first transport operation to transport the first disintegration container to an intermediate position where the first disintegration container to be transported is adjacent to the second disintegration container in the work area, and a second transport operation to transport the first disintegration container so that the first disintegration container in the intermediate position enters the work area after the second disintegration container is removed from the work area by the third transport means. a work table on which the disintegration container is placed in the work area;
the third transfer means includes a moving platform movable between the work area and the stacking area,
The container transfer device according to claim 1 , wherein an upper surface of the movable table is positioned below an upper surface of the work table when the movable table is moved to the work area. The container transfer device according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
a robot that grasps an object and places the object in the loose container in the work area;
Equipped with
A transfer system in which the base of the robot is fixed at a position within a range corresponding to directly above at least one of the inversion area and the work area.

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