JPH0329691B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Object of the Invention] (Industrial Field of Application) The present invention relates to an unloading device for unloading various articles from a warehouse or the like in response to an unloading instruction.

(Prior art) As a conventional device of this kind, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 137203
There is one shown in the publication.

In this device, a display device provided for each of a large number of storage sections divided into a plurality of blocks (zones) displays the storage section in which the article to be taken out is stored and the number of articles to be taken out from this storage section. In accordance with these instructions, the worker takes out the article from the storage section, places it in a storage box (returnable box) that is moved to each block (zone) by a belt conveyor, and then The display on the display is cleared (reset) by operating the end button (reset switch) on the display of the storage section after the removal operation.

In this device, the belt conveyor normally drives slowly, and if a storage box (returnable box) tries to move to the next block (zone) before work in a certain block (zone) is finished, , the belt conveyor is stopped.

(Problems to be Solved by the Invention) In the case of the conventional device described above, the movement and stopping of multiple storage boxes (returnable boxes) on the conveyor are all synchronized, and the movement and stopping of the storage boxes (returnable boxes) are performed in parallel. Since it is not possible to carry out both operations at the same time, storage boxes (returnable boxes) cannot be placed appropriately, and the intervals between blocks (zones) must match the intervals between storage boxes (returnable boxes) on the conveyor. It is troublesome, and if the work is not completed in all blocks (zones), the storage box (returnable box) cannot be moved forward, and the blocks (zones) where the work has been completed or the blocks (zones where no work is done) can be moved forward. ) Along with the storage box (returnable box), the worker is forced to wait, and there is a problem that the worker's waiting time cannot be reduced and work efficiency is poor.

The present invention has been made in view of these points, and aims to reduce the waiting time of workers and improve work efficiency.

[Structure of the invention]

(Means for solving the problem) The unloading device of the present invention includes a plurality of blocks 1a, 1
b, 1c, 1d, and each block 1
A shelf 1 in which the interiors of a, 1b, 1c, and 1d are divided into multi-stage and multi-row storage sections 3 for storing different types of articles, respectively, and an article takeout surface is formed on the front surface of each storage section 3.
, a display 5 provided on the front of each storage section 3 of the shelf 1 to display the number of items to be taken out, and an end button 6 provided corresponding to each display 5 to clear the display on the display 5. The storage boxes 12 arranged along the front surface of the shelf 1 for storing articles taken out from the respective storage sections 3 can be transported, and the transport can be controlled for each block 1a, 1b, 1c, and 1d of the shelf 1. A driven conveyor 8, each of the blocks 1a,
When the number of items to be taken out is displayed on one of the indicators 5 in blocks 1b, 1c, and 1d, the storage box 12 that stores the items is moved to the block 1a,
If it is stopped on the conveyor 8 in front of blocks 1b, 1c, 1d and all the indicators 5 in the blocks 1a, 1b, 1c, 1d are cleared, each block in the blocks 1a, 1b, 1c, 1d The display 5 displays the number of items to be taken out and stored in the next storage box 12, and the next block 1 is displayed.
On the condition that there is no storage box 12 on the conveyor 8 in front of blocks 1a, 1b, 1c, and 1d,
a control section 13 for transporting the storage box 12 on the conveyor 8 in front of each block 1b, 1c, 1d onto the conveyor 8 in front of the next block 1a, 1b, 1c, 1d; Indicators 15a, 15b, 1 are provided corresponding to the blocks 1a, 1b, 1c, 1d and indicate the storage boxes 12 in which to store the articles whose numbers are displayed on the indicators 5 in each block 1a, 1b, 1c, 1d.
5c and 15d.

(Function) The unloading device of the present invention takes out articles in the quantity displayed on the display 5 from the storage section 3, stores them in the storage box 12 on the conveyor 8, and unloads them. So, block 1a, 1 on shelf 1
It is possible to transport and stop the storage box 12 for each block 1a, 1c, 1d, and when the removal of articles is completed at a certain block 1a, 1b, 1c, 1d, the next block 1a, 1
b, 1c, and 1d, the storage box 12 can be moved forward immediately, and the items to be stored in the next storage box 12 can be displayed based on the display 5 before the next storage box 12 comes. The storage box 12 that stores the items that have been taken out can be taken out in advance, and the storage box 12 that stores the items that have been taken out can be set using indicators 15a, 15b, 15c, and 15.
d indicates.

(Example) An example of the shipping device of the present invention will be described based on the drawings.

In FIGS. 1 and 2, 1 is a shelf, and this shelf 1 is divided into first to fourth blocks 1a, 1b, 1c, and 1d, as shown in FIG. Each of the blocks 1a, 1b, 1c, and 1d has a take-out surface on the front surface, and has a multi-stage multi-row storage section 3 for storing cases 2 of different types of articles.

In each of these storage units 3, a roller is mounted on a frame 4 that supports the case 2 of the article so that the case 2 of the article stored from the rear moves toward the front. facing forward and sloping downward. Note that the front end of each storage section 3 is designed to further increase the slope of the case 2 so that articles stored in the frontmost case 2 can be easily taken out.

Further, at the lower end of the front surface of each storage section 3, there is a display 5 for displaying the number of articles to be taken out as shown in FIG.
An end button 6 for clearing the display is integrally disposed on a fixed frame 7.

8 is a conveyor, and this conveyor 8 is connected to the shelf 1.
The transport conveyor 9 consists of a transport conveyor 9 formed by rollers arranged along the front surface of the transport conveyor 9, and a carry-in conveyor 10 formed by a belt etc. continuously provided at the carry-in end of the transport conveyor 9. It is always driven in the direction of the arrow, and the loading conveyor 1
0 is driven and controlled intermittently.

11a, 11b, 11c, 11d are first to fourth stoppers;
b, 11c, and 11d are arranged on the conveyor 9 corresponding to each block 1a, 1b, 1c, and 1d of the shelf 1, and are formed to be movable forward and backward on the conveyance surface of the conveyor 9, and when they advance, , each block 1a, 1b, 1 that contacts and corresponds to the storage box 12 of the article being transported on the transport conveyor 9.
c, 1d, and does not interfere with the transportation of the storage box 12 when it is retracted.

13 is a control unit, and this control unit 13 controls each display 5 and the first to fourth stoppers 11a, 11b, 11c, and 11d based on the exit information input from the input device 14 and the operation of the end button 6. Control advance and retreat.

15a, 15b, 15c, 15d are printers serving as first to fourth indicators, and each printer 15a, 15b, 15c, 15d
It is provided between each block 1a, 1b, 1c, 1d and the conveyor 9 in correspondence with each block 1a, 1b, 1c, 1d, and is controlled by the control section 13 to ,1c,
The number of the storage box 12 in which the items whose number is displayed on each display 5 in 1d is to be stored is printed on a piece of paper and issued. In addition, each printer 1
Temporary storage boxes 16 for articles are provided adjacent to each of 5a, 15b, 15c, and 15d.

Next, the operation of this unloading device is shown in Figures 4 and 5.
This will be explained with reference to the figures.

First, the input device 14 inputs information based on the first to nth delivery slips into the control unit 13 in sequence for each delivery slip, and the information for each delivery slip is input to the control unit 13. After storing the information and placing the first storage box 12 on the carry-in conveyor 10, a start switch (not shown) is operated.

Then, the transport conveyor 9 starts driving, and the carry-in conveyor 10 is driven for a predetermined period of time, that is, a time sufficient to carry the storage box 12 onto the transport conveyor 9. By driving the carry-in conveyor 10 and the transport conveyor 9, the first storage box 12 is placed on the shelf 1.
The first stopper 1 is conveyed to a position corresponding to the front surface of the first block 1a, and is normally extended.
It comes into contact with 1a and is stopped.

Next, the control unit 13 adds 1 to the number n=0 for specifying the outgoing slip, and then adds 1 to the storage unit 3 of the first block 1a among the n=1st slip information that has already been input. The number of articles stored in the storage section 3, that is, the number of articles to be taken out from the storage section 3,
The first printer 15a displays the symbol, e.g. “Storage box”
Print it on a piece of paper and send it out.

The operator takes out the displayed number of articles from the case 2 of the storage section 3 and stores them in the first storage box 12, and also presses the end button of the storage section 3 when the displayed number of articles has been stored. 6 to clear the responsive display 5. and,
After clearing all the indicators 5 of the first block 1a, take the pieces of paper from the first printer 15a and put them into the first storage box 12.

The control unit 13 controls the display 5 on which the number is displayed.
When the end button 6 corresponding to 1 is pressed, the display on that display 5 is cleared, and at the same time, if the display on all the displays 5 of the first block 1a has not been cleared, the system waits until the display is cleared.

Then, when all of the display 5 of the first block 1a is cleared or when the display 5 of the first block 1a is not displayed from the beginning, the control unit 13 controls the transport of the next second block 1b at a position corresponding to the front surface thereof. It is determined whether there is a storage box 12 on the conveyor 9.

The method of this judgment is that the first stopper 11a
The number of times the block has regressed and the number of times the second stopper 11b has regressed are stored and compared, and if the number of times is the same, it is determined that there is no storage box 12 on the conveyor 9 corresponding to the second block 1b. However, if the number of regressions of the first stopper 11a is large, it is determined that the storage box 12 is present. In addition, each stopper 11a,
11b, 11c, and 11d are provided with touch switches, and the presence or absence of the storage box 12 can be determined based on whether or not the touch switches are activated by the storage box 12. Furthermore, the light receiving element can be placed at an appropriate position on the conveyance path. The presence or absence of the storage box 12 can also be determined based on whether or not the light is blocked. It goes without saying that other suitable means can also be used.

If there is a storage box 12 at a position corresponding to the second block 1b of the conveyor 9, the control unit 13 causes the first stopper 11a to stand by in the advanced state until the storage box 12 is empty, and if there is no storage box 12, the control unit 13 causes the first stopper 11a to wait in the extended state until the storage box 12 is located at the position corresponding to the second block 1b of the conveyor 9. The stopper 11a is retracted for a predetermined time, that is, a time sufficient for the storage box 12 to be transported by the transport conveyor 9 to a position corresponding to the second block 1b.

After that, the process returns to the beginning of the flow and repeats this process.

On the other hand, when all the indicators 5 of the first block 1a are cleared, the control unit 13
In addition, if it is not displayed from the beginning, add 1 to the number n = 1 for specifying the outgoing slip, and then select the first block 1a of the information on the n = 2nd slip that has already been input. The number of articles stored in the storage section 3, that is, the number of articles to be taken out from the storage section 3, is displayed on the display 5 provided in the corresponding storage section 3, and the articles whose number is displayed are stored. The first printer 15a prints a symbol, such as a number, of the storage box 12 to be stored, such as "Storage Box No. 2", on a piece of paper. Then, the information of the n=2nd slip is
If the number of articles to be taken out from the storage section 3 of the first block 1a is not input, 1 is sequentially added to n=2, and then the number of articles to be taken out from the storage section 3 of this first block 1a is input. is input n+
Based on the information of the x-th slip, the number of articles to be taken out from the storage section 3 of the first block 1a is displayed on the display 5 provided in the corresponding storage section 3, and the number of articles is displayed. The number of the storage box in which the displayed item should be stored is sent to the first printer 15a.
Depending on the situation, for example, "Storage box number (1+x)" is printed on a piece of paper and sent out.

The worker selects the 1+xth storage box 12 that should store the displayed number of items as the first block 1.
If the displayed number of articles is not transported to the position corresponding to the front side of block a, the displayed number of articles are taken out from the case of the storage section 3 and stored in the temporary storage box 16 corresponding to the first block 1a, and the displayed number is The end button 6 of the storage section 3 in which storage of the specified number of articles has been completed is pressed to clear the corresponding display 5. After all the indicators 5 of the first block 1a are cleared, the pieces of paper from the first printer 15a are taken and put into the temporary storage box 16.

With this, the worker can take out in advance the article to be next taken out from the storage section 3 of the first block 1a and stored in the storage box 12, and also select the number of the storage box 12 in which this article is to be stored. This can be confirmed using a piece of paper, and when the storage box 12 arrives, the article can be stored in the storage box 12 immediately.

Note that this flow only describes the operation for the first block 1a, but in the case of the second block 1b, the carry-in conveyor 10 is the first stopper 11a, and the first stopper 11a is the second block 1b. The second stopper 11b is connected to the third stopper 11b.
At the stopper 11c, the first printer 15a only changes to the second printer 15b, and the third printer 15a changes to the second printer 15b.
The same holds true for the fourth block 1c and the fourth block 1d.

In this embodiment, the number of blocks is four, but it may be more or less than this, and the structure of the stopper may be any structure as long as it can move forward and backward and stop the storage box 12. Alternatively, the conveyor may be divided into sections corresponding to each block, and each conveyor may be driven and controlled independently.

In addition to directly displaying the number of articles, the display 5 also displays the number of articles when taking out a large number of articles.
The number of cases 2 of articles may be displayed, and in this case, the removed cases 2 or other storage boxes may be placed on the conveyor adjacent to the storage boxes. All you have to do is do it.

Furthermore, as an indicator, a display device can be used in addition to a printer, and in this case, if you note down the number, symbol, etc. of the displayed storage box, you can place the items you have taken out in advance into the designated storage box. You can put it in a box.

〔Effect of the invention〕

As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to control the conveyance and stop of the storage boxes storing articles in each block on the conveyor, so that it is possible to control the removal of articles from one block and the removal of articles from another block. Movement can be performed in parallel, and when work on one block is finished and the next block is open, the storage box can be moved forward immediately and work on the next block can be started. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the waiting time of workers and speed up the shipping work.

In each block, if all the displays are cleared, the display will display the number of items to be taken out next, so the items to be stored in the next storage box will be checked before the next storage box arrives. The items can be taken out in advance, thus eliminating the waiting time for the worker and further speeding up the shipping process.

Furthermore, in each block, the indicator indicates the number of items and indicates which storage box should be used to store the item that has been instructed to be removed from the shelf, so the item that should be stored in the next storage box is If the item is taken out in advance, it can be prevented from accidentally putting the item into another storage box.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a plan view of an embodiment of the shipping device of the present invention;
FIG. 2 is a perspective view thereof, FIG. 3 is a front view showing the display and end button, FIG. 4 is a block diagram thereof, and FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram of its operation. 1...shelf, 1a, 1b, 1c, 1d...block, 2...case for articles, 3...storage section, 5...
Display, 6... End button, 8... Conveyor, 12
...Storage box, 13...Control unit, 15a, 15b,
15c, 15d...Printer as an indicator.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1. A device that is divided into a plurality of blocks, and each block is divided into multiple stages and multiple rows of storage sections each storing different types of articles, and an article takeout surface is formed on the front surface of each storage section. a shelf; a display provided on the front of each storage section of the shelf to display the number of articles to be taken out; an end button provided corresponding to each display to clear the display; a drive-type conveyor that is arranged along the front surface and that transports storage boxes for storing articles taken out from each of the storage sections, and that can control the transport for each block of the shelf; and any of the indicators in each of the blocks. If the number of items to be taken out is displayed, the storage box containing the item is stopped on the conveyor in front of that block, and if all the indicators in that block are cleared, the block is The number of items to be taken out and stored in the next storage box is displayed on each display in the block, and the number of items on the conveyor in front of the next block is displayed on the condition that there is no storage box on the conveyor in front of the next block. A control unit that transports a storage box onto a conveyor in front of the next block, and a control unit that instructs a storage box in which to store the items provided corresponding to each block and whose number is displayed on each display in each block. A shipping device characterized by comprising an indicator and the following.