Daifuku Co., Ltd.

Yuichi Ueda

Masashige Iwata

Atsushi Ishikura

Osamu Matsui

Hiroyuki Koide

Akira Emoto

Kazushi Tsujimoto

Takashi Fujita

Masaya Miyamoto

Kunihiro Tsukamoto

Kazunari Kimura

Noriyuki Wada

Wataru Kiyokawa

Kazuhiro Taguchi

Fumiaki Tatemi

Takashi Nishihara

Tsutomu Okazaki

Yoshinori Akamatsu

Kazunori Makimura

Kosuke Matsumoto

Kazuhiko Kodera

A picking system includes a multi-tier sorting device having ports in a plurality of tiers at different levels in a top-bottom direction, and sorts and discharges each of articles to one of the ports in the plurality of tiers; a plurality of first transport devices respectively corresponding to the ports in the plurality of tiers; and a second transport device configured to receive the articles from the first transport device and transport the articles. The second transport device has a second transport surface movable upward and downward, and, in a state where the second transport surface is located at a height corresponding to a terminal end portion of the first transport surface of one of the plurality of first transport devices, the second transport device receives the articles discharged from the terminal end portion of the first transport surface and transports the articles, with use of the second transport surface.

Picking system

An article conveyance apparatus couples a plurality of conveyor carriages for conveying articles and enables the coupled conveyor carriages to travel along a conveyance path K. The conveyor carriage is coupled by a coupling part to another conveyor carriage placed in the longitudinal direction with respect to a traveling direction H of the conveyor carriage. The conveyor carriage includes a load cell that is provided in the coupling part and measures a force applied between the conveyor carriages, and a controller that calculates a force F applied to wheels of the conveyor carriage, based on a tension T between the conveyor carriages calculated according to the force applied between the conveyor carriages and measured by the load cell.

Article conveyance apparatus

Safety fence

A control unit controls a transfer machine to execute: a first article delivery operation to store a target article in a first placement region as a first article; and a second article position adjustment operation of moving a second locking member disposed between the first article and a second article in a depth direction toward a depth-direction far side to a position corresponding to a position of a front surface portion of the second article located at a second article proper position, and the control unit is configured to, after the target article has been stored in the first placement region as the first article, cause the transfer machine to execute the second article position adjustment operation, and, upon end of the second article position adjustment operation, cause a first locking member be restored to a position corresponding to a holding region to end the first article delivery operation.

Article storage facility

A control unit causes a transfer machine to execute a first article take-out operation by moving a locking part to a depth-direction near side with the locking part locked to a rear surface portion of a first article; and a second article position adjustment operation of moving the locking part disposed between the first article and a second article in the depth direction toward a far side to a position corresponding to a front surface portion of the second article located at a second article proper position, and the control unit is configured to, after the locking part has been disposed between the first article and the second article during execution of the first article take-out operation using the transfer machine, cause the transfer machine to execute the second article position adjustment operation, and to complete the first article take-out operation upon completion of the second article position adjustment operation.

A picking system is realized that can efficiently perform operations from collection to delivery of articles in a limited space. A picking system () includes: a multi-row sorting device () configured to sort the article into one of the plurality of rows of exits () and discharge the sorted article; a container supporting device () capable of supporting an accommodating container (B) on a plurality of rows of container supporting portions () until an article group that is a set of articles for the order is collected; and a transport device () configured to unload the accommodating container (B) in which the article is accommodated from the container supporting portion (), and load an empty accommodating container (B) to the container supporting portion ().

An article transport facility includes a main conveyor device and induction conveyors. The main conveyor device includes belt conveyors and carriage bodies. The induction conveyor includes a first conveyor device for loading article onto a second transport path and a second conveyor device that is provided for an article-loading position on a transport path and loads the article onto the belt conveyor. The first conveyor device adjusts the timing of loading the article to the article-loading position, by controlling the timing of loading the article onto the second conveyor device. The second conveyor device adjusts, on the belt conveyors, loading position of the article loaded onto the belt conveyor by controlling the timing of loading the article onto the belt conveyor.

Article transport facility

A sorting facility for sorting an article by a belt conveyor provided on a traveling carriage traveling along a conveyance path. A plurality of traveling carriages travel on the conveyance path. Each of the plurality of traveling carriages is provided with a power generation motor generating electric power by traveling of the traveling carriage. The belt conveyor provided on each of the plurality of traveling carriages is driven in a predetermined position on the conveyance path by the electric power generated by the power generation motor. The power generation motor provided in each of the plurality of traveling carriages starts generation of the electric power necessary to drive the belt conveyor in order from the power generation motor provided in the traveling carriage scheduled to pass the predetermined position on the conveyance path first, after the traveling carriages are actuated and traveling speeds become a constant speed.

Sorting facility

A transport vehicle () that travels along a container shelf () provided with a plurality of levels of shelf portions () arranged in a vertical direction (Z) and configured to support containers (W), thereby transporting the containers (W). The transport vehicle () is provided with a support region where a container (W) is supported, a first transfer apparatus () that inserts/takes the container (W) into/out of the container shelf (), and a second transfer apparatus () that loads/unloads the container (W) on/from the support region. The second transfer apparatus () is configured such that a container (W) can be moved to the support region so as to allow a plurality of the containers (W) to be supported in a stacked state in the support region.

Transport vehicle and transport facility

A transport vehicle () that travels along a container shelf () is provided with a plurality of levels of shelf portions () arranged in a vertical direction (Z) and configured to support containers (W), thereby transporting the containers (W). The transport vehicle () is provided with a support region where a container (W) is supported, a first transfer apparatus () that inserts/takes the container (W) into/out of the container shelf (), and a second transfer apparatus () that loads/unloads the container (W) on/from the support region. The second transfer apparatus () is configured such that a container (W) can be moved to the support region so as to allow a plurality of the containers (W) to be supported in a stacked state in the support region.

A transport vehicle () is provided with: a support region () where a container (W) is supported; a container transfer apparatus () that inserts/takes a container (W) into/out of a container shelf; a recognition apparatus () that recognizes at least one of an article stored in a container (W) in a first state in which the container (W) is supported in the support region () and an article stored in a container (W) in a second state in which the container (W) is supported by the container transfer apparatus (); and an article transfer apparatus () that transfers an article recognized by the recognition apparatus () between a container (W) in the first state and a container (W) in the second state.

An article conveying facility in which an article is conveyed by a conveyance carriage travelling on a pair of left and right rails provided along a conveyance path. The article conveying facility includes a carriage driving apparatus that drives the conveyance carriage by utilizing a frictional force generated by contact with the conveyance carriage, and sensors that detect floating of the conveyance carriage with respect to the rails. The conveyance carriage includes a fin that contacts the carriage driving apparatus. The fin is provided so as to extend along the travelling direction of the conveyance carriage, at a lower position than the position of an upper surface of the rails. The sensors detect floating of the conveyance carriage with respect to the rails by detecting the fin.

Article conveying facility

A sorting facility for sorting articles by a plurality of connected conveyance carriages. The sorting facility includes a supervisory controller managing a position of each of the conveyance carriages, a trigger sensor detecting each of the conveyance carriages, and a belt conveyor provided on each of the conveyance carriages. The supervisory controller identifies each of the conveyance carriages that should deliver the articles to the chute based on the managed position of each of the conveyance carriages. The supervisory controller instructs the belt conveyor provided in each of the conveyance carriages identified to start a delivery operation of each of the articles at timing when each of the conveyance carriages identified is detected by the trigger sensor.

A supervisory controller determines the control status of a conveyor belt by a control unit. When it is determined that the control status of the conveyor belt is abnormal, the supervisory controller prohibits loading an article onto a traveling carriage and instructs the control unit to reset the control unit. When it is determined again that the control status of the conveyor belt by the control unit subjected to the reset instruction is abnormal, the supervisory controller prohibits loading an article onto the traveling carriage and acquires an abnormality record from the control unit. When it is determined that the control status of the conveyor belt by the control unit subjected to the reset instruction is normal, the supervisory controller acquires the abnormality record from the control unit.

Sorting facility and status checking method for traveling carriage

Provided is an article transport apparatus which can transfer an article to a transfer target portion at a low height. A movable member having a support portion includes a transfer mechanism for moving an article between the support portion and a transfer target portion. The transfer mechanism includes an interlocking portion capable of being interlocked with an article along the front-and-back direction, a first guide portion for guiding the interlocking portion along the front-and-back direction, and a second actuator for moving the interlocking portion along the front-and-back direction. The transfer mechanism moves an article between the support portion and the transfer target portion by moving the interlocking portion along the front-and-back direction. The first guide portion and the second actuator are located higher than an article supported by the support portion.

Growing community of inventors

Hinocho, Japan

Yuichi Ueda