JP2006193279A - Method for delivering article by conveying tool unit - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a method for delivering articles by the conveying tool unit capable of efficiently performing the work of loading the articles to be conveyed by a feed conveyor on the same conveying tool of the same shipping destination, and facilitating the loading work of a loading worker by flowing the articles grouped by the conveying tool unit. <P>SOLUTION: A device used in this delivering method comprises a feed conveyor to feed articles, a plurality of branch lanes 11 to transfer and temporarily store articles 2 on the feed conveyor, a movable stopper 13 to deliver the articles 2 stored on the branch lanes 11 provided on a tip of each branch lane, and a carry-out conveyor 14 to receive and carry the articles 2 delivered from the movable stopper 13. The movable stopper 13 is operated to deliver the articles at the time when the articles 2 loaded on a shipping pallet of the same conveying tool of the same shipping destination are stored by one shipping pallet unit on one branch lane 11, and the articles are delivered so that the space t between the article 2 and the article 2 is substantially constant on the carry-out conveyor 14. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention is for assembling articles stored in a warehouse / factory or articles supplied from the warehouse / factory (cardboards packed with a plurality of products, cases containing a plurality of products, single-item products, etc.). Load assortment equipment, and using this equipment, goods at the shipping destination (shipping store, company, transport center, other warehouse, etc.) are stacked in units of transport tools (shipping pallets, shipping containers, shipping carts, etc.) The present invention relates to a method for delivering articles to a carry-out conveyor from a lane in which the goods are stored in units of the same shipping destination. This distribution technology is useful mainly in distribution centers, factories, and three-dimensional automated warehouses for distribution.

In the conventional apparatus and method for assembling goods in units of shipping destinations, a branch lane assigned one-to-one with a shipping destination is provided on one or both sides of a supply conveyor for supplying articles, and the articles are transferred from the supply conveyor to the branch lane. A transfer device to be mounted is provided, and an article supplied by the supply conveyor is transferred to a shipping destination branch lane by operating a predetermined transfer device for each article. Articles of the same shipping destination stored in the branch lane are paid out in units of one transport tool. An operator is arranged at the tip of the branch lane, and articles to be dispensed are stacked on the transport tool by hand, and the goods are aligned. The transported equipment is temporarily placed in a temporary station for transportation by a forklift truck / conveyor or the like so that it can be shipped by truck / vehicle in a timely manner.
In the assortment work, one day is divided at an appropriate time interval, and the assortment is performed in batches several times a day.

  More specifically, each day is divided into appropriate time intervals (this is called a batch), and each shipping destination for each item of the item (items with different varieties, dimensions, quantity, weight, etc.) Calculate the total number of orders for the store. Each item is transported from the storage location to the inlet of the supply conveyor with a pallet or the like, and the total number of orders for the target store for one item A in the batch is input from the inlet and flows to the supply conveyor. .

The branch lanes and the shipping destination stores are associated with each other in a one-to-one manner, and the number of items A ordered by each store is distributed to each branch lane corresponding to each store and sorted. Similarly, B item and C item are sequentially sorted for all items. Each branch lane stores articles of various items to be shipped to the shipping destination (store). On the other hand, at the tip of each branch lane, an operator manually transfers the items in the branch lane to a shipping tool such as a shipping pallet and transports it to a shipping truck or storage location by a forklift or the like.
Whether the worker is to be assigned one person to the branch lane or one person to have a plurality of lanes is determined according to the quantity scale.

For example, if 32 stores are sorted into one batch, 32 or more branch lanes are required. If one person is responsible for 4 branches, 8 people are required.
The disadvantage of the sorting method in the conventional assortment apparatus is that when one person takes charge of four branches, a lateral movement between the four branches occurs, which wastes time and labor. In addition, when eight people perform loading work on a pallet, the work load varies due to variations in the number of orders in each store. That is, you can have a busy lane and a free lane. Therefore, personnel are inevitably allocated more than necessary, resulting in an increase in labor costs.

  In addition, even when a truck is temporarily brought to a temporary storage place by a forklift, finding a completed pallet generated in each lane of 32 lanes becomes more difficult as it becomes wider, and is necessary because the operation range is wide. The number and the number of forklifts will increase.

  Since it is loaded on a carrier such as a pallet or a carriage in front of each branch lane, the loading area is dispersed and a large space is required. In addition, there are various problems that the supply of empty pallets for loading becomes difficult due to the dispersion.

  As a method for solving these problems, the applicant has developed a new method for assorting goods. In this method, a plurality of tributary lines are provided on the supply conveyor line, the tributary lines and the items of the articles are made to correspond one-to-one, and the articles supplied from the supply conveyor line are transferred to the tributary lines corresponding to the items and temporarily stored. A merging line for storing and carrying out the articles cut out from the tip of the branch line is provided, and the goods to be shipped at the shipping destination are cut out from the branch line at a predetermined timing to form a group in which the articles at the same shipping destination are continuous on the merging line. It is a loading method that cuts out and stacks on a transporting tool at a downstream position of the merge line. This assortment method is known as JP-A-10-297744.

In addition, in order to sort the supplied goods for each same shipping destination, there is a device that allocates branch lanes for each shipping destination, and transfers the goods of the same shipping destination to the assigned branch lanes that are allocated and loads them. This is known from Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2000-95335.
However, according to this publication, workers must be arranged for each of one or a plurality of branch lanes, and the goods aligned on the pallet or the like of the transport tool must be loaded, and many workers must be arranged. It was. In addition, there is a problem that the amount of work between the worker in charge of the shipping destination with a small amount of shipment and the worker in charge of the shipping destination with a large amount of shipment varies considerably.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 10-297744 JP 2000-95335 A

  The problem to be solved by the present invention is to solve these conventional problems, and the dispensed articles can be efficiently stacked downstream, and the articles of the same transport unit in the same shipping destination The purpose of this is to provide a payout method that can be clearly understood by the loading worker.

The configuration of the present invention that solves this problem is as follows.
1) Supply conveyor for supplying articles, a plurality of branch lanes for transferring articles on the supply conveyor to temporarily store articles, and articles stored in the branch lanes provided at the front ends of the respective branch lanes are dispensed A delivery method for an article transporting tool unit using an assortment device provided with a delivery device and a delivery conveyor that receives and conveys the article delivered from the delivery device,
When an article to be stacked on the same delivery tool of the same shipping destination is stored in one branch lane by one delivery tool unit, the delivery device is operated to deliver the article, and the gap between the article and the article on the carry-out conveyor is substantially reduced. Dispensing method in units of transporting units of articles, characterized by grouping and transporting articles in units of 1 transporting unit on the transporting conveyor by paying out to be constant 2) a supply conveyor for supplying articles, A plurality of branch lanes for transferring articles on the supply conveyor to temporarily store the articles, a dispensing device for dispensing the articles stored in the branch lanes provided at the tip of each branch lane, and a dispensing from the dispensing apparatus A method of paying out articles in units of transporting goods using a loading device provided with a carry-out conveyor for receiving and transporting the received goods,
When the goods to be stacked on the same carrier at the same shipping destination are stored in one branch lane, the delivery device is activated and paid out on the carry-out conveyor, and between the items delivered on the carry-out conveyor The article delivery unit 3), wherein the articles are grouped and transported in units of one transport tool on the transport conveyor by paying out so that the distance between the article centers is substantially constant. Supply conveyor for supplying articles, a plurality of branch lanes for temporarily storing articles by transferring articles on the supply conveyor, and a dispensing device for delivering the articles stored in the branch lanes provided at the tip of each branch lane And a method for paying out articles in units of transporting goods using a loading device comprising a carry-out conveyor for receiving and transporting the goods paid out from the payout device,
When one transporter unit of the same ship-to destination is stored in one or more branch lanes, the payout device is operated to pay out, and the goods of one transporter unit are stored in the same branch lane and then discharged. In the case where the articles are delivered at short intervals in the range where the articles do not interfere with each other on the conveyor, the articles of the same one transporting tool unit are stored in a plurality of branch lanes, and are delivered from a plurality of different branch lanes. Should be discharged from one branch lane at regular time intervals, and when it is discharged onto the transfer conveyor, a group of lengths formed on the transfer conveyor is virtually assumed on the transfer conveyor and should follow thereafter A position where the gap between the group of the first article and the previous article becomes as small as possible is virtually assumed on the carry-out conveyor, and is taken out from another branch lane stored for that virtual position. Dispensing method for transporting articles in units of transporting equipment, characterized by grouping and transporting the articles in units of transporting units on the transporting conveyor by paying out the articles on the conveyor, and a supply conveyor for supplying the articles, A plurality of branch lanes for transferring articles on the supply conveyor to temporarily store the articles, a dispensing device for dispensing the articles stored in the branch lanes provided at the tip of each branch lane, and a dispensing from the dispensing apparatus A method of paying out articles in units of transporting goods using a loading device provided with a carry-out conveyor for receiving and transporting the received goods,
When an article for one transporting unit is stored in a plurality of branch lanes, numbers are assigned to the articles in the order in which the articles are stored, and the virtual position for placing the article on the carry-out conveyor in the order of the number and each article Assuming virtually the length of the gap corresponding to the length, when paying out an arbitrary article on the carry-out conveyor, pay from the branch lane to the virtual position on the carry-out conveyor corresponding to the article number. Discharging method for transporting articles in units of transporting tools, characterized by grouping and transporting articles in units of transporting units on the transporting conveyor 5), and a supply conveyor for supplying the articles and articles on the supply conveyor A plurality of branch lanes for temporarily storing articles by transferring the goods, a dispensing device for dispensing the articles stored in the branch lanes provided at the tip of each branch lane, and receiving the articles dispensed from the dispensing apparatus A method for paying out articles in units of transporting goods using an assortment device comprising a transporting conveyor for transporting,
When articles in one transport unit are stored in a plurality of branch lanes, numbers are assigned to the articles in the order in which the articles are stored, and the virtual position where the articles are placed on the carry-out conveyor in that order and a fixed interval between the articles Assuming virtually the length of the item, when an item with an arbitrary item number is dispensed onto the carry-out conveyor, it is dispensed to the virtual position on the carry-out conveyor corresponding to the item number. The present invention provides a method for paying out articles in units of transporting equipment, wherein the articles are grouped and transported in units of 1 transporting tool.

  As described above, according to the method for dispensing articles stored in the branch lane of the present invention, the gap between the articles is made substantially constant on the carry-out conveyor of the dispensed articles, or the distance between the article centers is substantially reduced. Keeping the gap between the top of the group and the previous article small, giving a plus gap to the length of the article, or paying it out within a certain interval, the gap between the articles in the range where the article does not contact Can be carried out by being discharged to a small carry-out conveyor, and the articles can be conveyed by grouping them in units of one transporting tool, so that the downstream work can be efficiently performed with a small number of people. In addition, in the dispensing method in which the center of the article on the carry-out conveyor is set to a substantially constant distance, the branching process of the article, the lifting / gripping of the article, etc. are facilitated to increase the reliability.

There are a plurality of payout methods as the main part of the present invention.
One form thereof is as shown in FIG. 5, when an article 2 stored in the same branch lane 11 is delivered to the delivery device, the article 2 and the article are delivered on the delivered conveyor 14. This is a mode of paying out so that the gap t between the two is constant. FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram of the payout method.

  In the control of making the clearance t between the articles 2 in the first form of the dispensing method substantially constant, the timing of dispensing the articles with the dispensing device of the branch lane 11 (means such as the movable stopper 13 at the lower end of the branch lane) is adjusted. This can be done by regulating. The feed time of the carry-out conveyor 14 having the length of the article in the direction orthogonal to the feed direction of the branch lane 11 of the article 2 and the time until the article 2 is transferred onto the carry-out conveyor 14 (the branch lane of the article) The operation timing of the dispensing apparatus may be determined so that the gap t between the articles delivered on the carry-out conveyor 14 becomes substantially constant. These timing calculations and payout signals are performed by a control device using a computer.

  In this first payout mode, the article 2 does not come in contact with the carry-out conveyor 14, the carry-out time by the carry conveyor 14 is shortened, and the articles 2 in one conveyance tool unit can be easily classified for each conveyance tool unit. It is in.

  As shown in FIG. 6, the second payout form is that the distance l between the article centers of the articles 2 delivered on the carry-out conveyor 14 (marked by a circle in the circle in FIG. 6) is paid out substantially constant. . In this dispensing method, the dispensing device is operated at a predetermined timing for each article 2 so that the distance l between the article centers is substantially constant in consideration of the width and length of the article 2 as in the first embodiment. You can do it. These timing calculations and operation signals are performed by a control device using a computer. This second payout form is shown in FIG.

  This form of the second payout method is effective when the article 2 is regulated by the center position of the article 2 by making the distance l between the centers of the article 2 constant. For example, in the case of bifurcation of orthogonally changing center swing, the center of the article 2 often becomes the center of gravity when the article 2 is gripped / lifted, and the like, which is useful because it can perform balanced vertical movement.

  As shown in FIG. 7, the third payout method includes a group of articles (article numbers 10, 11, 12, and 13) formed by being discharged from a plurality of branch lanes 11 onto a carry-out conveyor 14. In a dispensing method that minimizes the gap m between the last group of articles (article numbers 1, 2, 3, 4) and the last article, the articles are dispensed from the branch lanes 11 onto the carry-out conveyor 14. The length of a region for accommodating a group of articles 2 is set virtually, and the position of the virtual upper region is adjusted to set the gap m between the groups as small as possible. When the article 2 is faced, the article 2 is paid out, so that the gap m between the groups is minimized, and the article is efficiently conveyed. This third payout method is shown in FIG. In the dispensing method shown in FIG. 8, the articles 2 in the group of the same conveying tool are dispensed within a predetermined time T, and the articles 2 are conveyed in the length and pitch of the time interval T, and are one group (the same conveying tool). This is an example to understand this.

  Further, as a calculation method for determining the timing of operation of the dispensing device of the first and second dispensing methods, numbers are assigned in the order in which the articles 2 are stored, and the numbers of the articles 2 on the carry-out conveyor 14 in the order of the numbers. A length corresponding to the length of the article 2 plus a length corresponding to the gap may be virtually assumed, and the article 2 may be delivered to a virtual position on the carry-out conveyor 14 corresponding to the number. Similarly, when paying out when one transporting tool unit is stored and storing in a plurality of branch lanes 11, numbers are assigned in the order in which the articles 2 are stored, and the numbers of the articles 2 are constant on the carry-out conveyor 14 in that order. This can be achieved by paying out the length of the interval with respect to the virtual position on the delivery conveyor virtually corresponding.

  There are three types of methods for assigning branch lanes for each shipment destination according to the present invention. One type of method is a static allocation method in which one or a plurality of different branch lanes are fixedly allocated in advance in a single assortment batch process. In the second type of method, when the number of articles to be loaded on one carrier is stored in the allocated branch lane, the stored articles are discharged to the carry-out conveyor, and the allocation of the shipping destination in the branch lane is canceled and the branch is made. This is a dynamic allocation method in which the same or different shipping destination can be newly assigned to the lane, and the allocation of branch lanes of the same shipping destination can be changed with time. The third type method is an intermediate hybrid method between the first type static allocation method and the second type dynamic allocation method, and has a one-to-one relationship with the shipping destination during batch processing. If one branch lane is fixedly allocated from the fixed branch lane group so as to correspond, and the branch lane of this fixed branch lane group can no longer store goods, the assignable branch lane of the free branch lane group is assigned to the shipping destination. This is a method of allocating as a branch lane and storing the article in the branch lane. This third type of method also has two forms. When the number of articles to be loaded on one carrier is stored in the branch lane of the fixed branch lane group and the branch lane of the free branch lane group assigned to the same shipping destination, it is discharged to the carry-out conveyor at the required timing and carried one When the number of items to be stacked is stored, the shipping destination assignment of the free branch lane group is canceled, and it can be assigned to the same shipping destination or another shipping destination, and at the end of the same shipping destination. When the supplied goods are stored in the branch lane (that is, when all the goods of the batch processing ship-to party are stored), the ship-to assignment is canceled at that time, and the branch is freely branched to another ship-to party In this configuration, the branch lanes of the lane group can be allocated.

  The three types of branch lane allocation states are shown in FIG. The allocation methods of the first and third types require at least the number of branch lanes 11 equal to or more than the number of shipping destinations, and may not be suitable for assortment of many shipping destinations. The second dynamic allocation method enables efficient use of the branch lanes 11 because the allocation of the branch lanes 11 can be used in units of transport tools, and can be used for many shipping destinations even if the number of branch lanes 11 is small. Assortment can be done. The third type of allocation method makes it possible to use the branch lanes fairly efficiently for the free branch lane group.

  When the number of articles stored in the branch lane is small and the number of articles stacked on one carrier cannot be stored in one branch lane, a plurality of branch lanes are allocated to one shipping destination. .

  In the branch lane allocation method of the present invention, the virtual model of the assortment device is created in advance by computer software, the simulation calculation for flowing the articles to be assorted for batch processing from the supply conveyor for each item is performed, and the branch lane of the shipping destination is calculated. Make a specific allocation, confirm the smoothness of the flow by using a virtual model, confirm the branch lane allocation of the shipping destination, and determine the branch lane to be transferred for each article to be supplied A method in which the supply is performed by the supply conveyor and the transfer device is operated in the determined branch lane so as to be stored in the target branch lane enables reliable assortment.

  The branch lane allocation method of the present invention can be determined by other calculation methods. Or, by providing a device for checking the position of the article, the article ID, the article storage state of the branch lane, etc., supplying these articles in real time, measuring these states, and determining the specific branch lane allocation as appropriate You can also transfer and store.

  Whether the article in the branch lane according to the present invention has stored the article to be stacked on one transporter is also calculated at the required timing when the last article of one transporter is stored by calculating the simulation using the virtual model. To do. There is also a method for determining whether or not the stored article is provided after measuring by providing a sensor for counting the number of stored articles.

  The position of the article on the supply conveyor, the position on the branch lane, and the position on the carry-out conveyor are measured by the conveyor feed amount (rotation amount of the roller conveyor), and the operation of the transfer device is controlled by the feed amount. Further, it is general control that the transfer position on the carry-out conveyor and the delivery timing are determined by the feed amount of the carry-out conveyor.

In the present invention, “the number to be stacked on one carrier” (hereinafter referred to as “number P to be stacked”) refers to the number of articles to be stacked on the carrier in the order in which the articles at the same shipping destination stored in the branch lane are stored. . Generally, it is calculated by a computer or the like before the supply of goods.
In addition, the number P to be loaded takes into consideration the items (size, weight, shape) of items stored in the branch lane, the number of items, the combination of items, the shape of loading, the difficulty of loading, the loading capacity of the carrier, etc. An appropriate number is determined, which is calculated in advance and determined by an empirical value.

  The number P to be stacked is not more than the maximum number M that can be loaded by the carrier, and the maximum number M can be set to a number that is slightly smaller than the maximum number M, leaving a small margin. In other cases, the number P of transporting tools for stacking the last article is often much smaller than the maximum number M, and in some cases, only one is generated.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

  In this embodiment, the goods to be packed are goods packed in a product carton in which a plurality of products are packed, and the items of the goods are distinguished by the type (item / dimension) of the product to be packed and the number of packed products. There are 51 or more items of I1, I2, I3..., I51,. The transport tool used in this embodiment is a shipping pallet, and about 40 articles can be stacked, and the number to be stacked on the transport tool (shipping pallet) is determined by a combination of the item and the number of articles. The number of items to be stacked by the computer software of the control device is calculated in advance. In addition, the last article to be transferred / stored among the articles stacked on one shipping pallet is also determined. Therefore, one transport tool unit in this embodiment is a group of about 40 articles.

  Branch lane B1-B24 of a present Example is a gravity conveyor using the inclined roller conveyor, and can store about 20 articles | goods. The branch lanes include a fixed branch lane group K composed of twelve branch lanes B1 to B12 that are preferentially assigned one-to-one with E1 to E12 of shipping destinations (stores), and branch lanes B1 to B12 of the fixed branch lane group K. It is composed of a free branch lane group F consisting of 12 branch lanes B13 to B24 that are allocated when the number of articles that can be stored in one transporter (shipment pallet) cannot be stored. B1 to B24 are arranged at a right angle to the supply conveyor with a constant pitch on one side of the supply conveyor. The branch lanes B13 to B24 below the free branch lane group F are assigned to an arbitrary shipping destination when they become empty.

As the transfer device, a right angle conversion device that transfers an article at a right angle so as to distribute the center of the article is used. Roller conveyors are used for both the supply conveyor and the carry-out conveyor, and the position of the article on the conveyor is measured by the feed amount (rotation value) of the conveyor and the article detection sensor, and the article of the article is stored in the software memory of the controller computer. Along with information on the number, item, and shipping destination (store destination), the position of the article on the conveyor and branch lane is stored.
The payout device of the present embodiment uses a movable stopper that can be moved in and out provided at the front end (lower end) of a branch lane that is a gravity conveyor.
The operation command of the transfer device and the control of the moving stoppers are controlled by the computer software / electronic circuit of the control device based on the feed amount of the supply conveyor and the carry-out conveyor.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a loading apparatus according to an embodiment.
FIG. 2 is a plan layout view of the loading apparatus according to the embodiment.
FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram illustrating supply of articles to the branch lane according to the embodiment.
FIG. 4 is a process flow diagram of the branch lane allocation control device of the embodiment.
FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram showing the payout method of the main part of the present invention.
FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram showing the payout method of the main part of the present invention.
FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram illustrating the payout method of the embodiment.
FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram showing the payout method of the main part of the present invention.
FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a method for allocating shipping destinations of articles stored in a branch lane according to the present invention.

  In the figure, 1 is an assortment apparatus according to the embodiment, and 2 is an article to be assorted, which is an article packed in a product carton in which a plurality of products of the same type are packed. 10 to 21 are components of the assorting apparatus 1, 10 is a supply conveyor using a roller conveyor, 11 is a gravity conveyor that is arranged at right angles to the supply conveyor and is inclined so as to become lower according to the dispensing direction. 24 branch lanes having branch lane names B1 to B24. 12 is a transfer device using a right-angle conversion device that transfers the article 2 conveyed on the supply conveyor 10 to the branch lane 11 at right angles to the center of the article, and 13 is provided at the downstream end of the branch lane. Movable stopper, 14 is a carry-out conveyor, 15 is a pallet stacking station provided at a downstream position of the carry-out conveyor, 16 is a temporary placement station for stacked shipment pallets according to shipping destinations, and 17 is a throw-in for delivering articles 2 to the supply conveyor 10 Conveyor, 18 is a conveying conveyor for sending the article 2 to the same loading conveyor, 19 is an article detection sensor provided at the supply start position of the supply conveyor 10, and when the article feed is based (position of the article on the conveyor, feed amount reference value). And the center position of the article by calculating the individual length of the article. A computer 20 controls the transfer device 12, the supply conveyor 10, the movable stopper 13, the carry-out conveyor 14 and the like, and stores and calculates the branch lane assignment / article number, item, shipment destination, transfer branch lane, etc. , 21 is a truck, 22 is an operator, and 23 is a shipping pallet.

In this embodiment, when a required number of articles 2 are sent on the transport conveyor 18 in order of increasing size, the operator 22 transfers the articles 2 to the input conveyor 17. The articles 2 placed on the input conveyor 17 are sent and transferred to the supply conveyor 10, and when the articles 2 start to be supplied on the supply conveyor 10, the article detection sensor 19 determines the transport position (feed amount) of each article 2. Is stored in the computer, and the conveyance feed amount while the article passes through the article detection sensor 19 is measured, the length of the article is calculated from the difference in the feed amount, and the intermediate value of the feed amount is calculated. Store as the center position of the article. The position where the article 2 is supplied is determined by the feed amount of the supply conveyor (calculated by measuring the number of rotations of the roller with an encoder) from the time when the article detection sensor 19 is activated, and is controlled by the transfer device 12. Is made with that information.
Also, when the article 2 sent by the supply conveyor 10 reaches the position of the predetermined transfer device 12, the transfer device 12 is operated, and the direction is changed at right angles so that the article 2 is centered. The product is transferred to the branch lane 11 and the article can be stored in the branch lane 11.

The articles 2 are supplied on the supply conveyor 10 for each item Ii (i = 1, 2, 51,...) As many as the total number of items Ii supplied. The articles 2 from the supply conveyor 10 are supplied in the order of larger articles so that the articles 2 can be easily stacked on the shipping pallet 23 of the carrier. The supply order of the articles 2 is as shown in Table 1, and the articles I1 to I51... Are supplied as 1, 31, 75, 82,. Table 1 shows the number of assortments of the shipping destination En (n = 1, 2,..., 12) of the item 2 of each item Ii (i = 1, 2,..., 51,...). is there. As shown in Table 1, in a certain batch process, B1 to B12 of the branch lanes 11 of the fixed branch lane group K are made to correspond one-to-one in order with respect to each shipping destination E1, E2, E3.
Further, the number of assortments of items I1 to I51 of the article 2 is input to the control device 20 as assortment information. The articles 2 on the supply conveyor 10 are transferred to a predetermined branch lane Bj (j = 1, 2,..., 24) by the number determined by the operation of the transfer device 12.

Further, the shipping destination of the branch lane 11 is assigned by computer software of the control device 20. Each of the fixed branch lanes 11 (B1 to B12) can store only about 20 articles. When the articles are full, the branch lanes 11 (B13) that are vacant (usable) in the free branch lane group F that is vacant with computer software. To B24), one branch lane 11 is selected from the side closer to the fixed branch lane group K, and this is assigned as a new branch lane 11 of the shipping destination that is full.
The allocation of the free branch lane group is as shown in Table 2 below. In the shipping destination E1, when the branch lane 11 (B1) of the fixed branch lane group K transfers the item I24, the branch lane 11 (B1) becomes full, and the branch lane 11 (B18) of the free branch lane group F is the destination. It becomes a new branch lane for storing E1 articles.
When articles are supplied as shown in Table 2, the order in which the branch lanes 11 become full is B7, B9, B2, B4, B8, B9, B3, B1,. Accordingly, the branch lanes 11 (B13 to B24) of the free branch lane group F store the remaining one shipment pallet. The branch lanes 11 of the free branch lane group F are assigned in the order of B13 (E7), B14 (E9), B15 (E2), B16 (E4),. FIG. 4 shows a flow of the assigning computer software.

  When the number of articles 2 to be loaded on the shipping pallet of the carrier is stored in the branch lane 11 of the fixed branch lane group K (or the fixed branch lane group K and the free branch lane group F), or is stacked on the shipping pallet. When the last article has been transferred, the movable stopper 13 is operated at a predetermined timing based on the feed amount of the carry-out conveyor 14, the stopper is released, and the stored article 2 is delivered to the carry-out conveyor 14. The dispensed article 2 is conveyed by the carry-out conveyor 14 and sent to the pallet stacking station 15.

If the branch lanes 11 (B1 to B12) assigned to the fixed branch lane group K are full and cannot be transferred / stored, one branch lane 11 (B13 to 24) of the free branch lane group F is stored. The article 2 is newly assigned, and the article 2 is transferred to and stored in the newly assigned branch lane 11. When the number of articles 2 to be stacked for one shipment pallet is stored in the two branch lanes 11 of the fixed branch lane group K and the free branch lane group F, the movable stopper 13 of each branch lane 11 has a predetermined time difference. The branch lanes 11 that are actuated (actuate the upstream side of the carry-out conveyor 14 early) and the articles 2 discharged from the respective branch lanes 11 have a constant interval t between the articles on the carry-out conveyor 14 and flow forward. Two articles (article numbers 1, 2, 3 and 4) are discharged so that the distance m between the last article 2 and the first article 2 of the branch lane 11 to be flown behind is as close as possible to the distance t. And (article numbers 10, 11, 12, and 13) can be seen to form a group of one shipping pallet (one transporting tool).
On the carry-out conveyor 14, an interval t is provided between the article 2 in one shipping pallet unit (one transporting tool unit) and the article 2 in another shipping pallet unit (one transporting tool unit) so that the separation of the shipping pallet can be seen. , M, l are slightly longer.

In this way, the plurality of articles 2 of the same shipping destination En stacked on one shipping pallet are sent as a group by the carry-out conveyor 14 and reach the pallet stacking station 15. The worker 22 arranged at the station 15 loads the articles 2 for the one shipping pallet (one transporting tool) flowing on the empty shipping pallet 23. The stacked shipping pallet is temporarily placed at a location assigned to the shipping destination of the temporary placement station 16 using a lift truck. The shipping pallet on which the articles temporarily placed at the temporary placement station 16 are stacked is transferred to the truck 21 at a predetermined time and is transported to a target shipping destination.
As described above, the articles 2 supplied for each item from the supply conveyor 10 are in units of a shipping pallet 23 (one transporting tool) to be stacked by the same shipping destination, and the downstream pallet stacking station 15 by the common carry-out conveyor 14. Therefore, the operator 22 at the station can perform assortment at a substantially fixed place without moving much. As a result, the number of loading workers 22 can be greatly reduced, and the movement of the shipping pallets loaded to the temporary station 16 can be integrated, which can be efficient and can reduce the work space. It becomes.

  The method of paying out an article according to the present invention is useful when shipping a wide variety of goods in logistics to a plurality of stores on a shipping pallet (conveyor), but combining a plurality of goods. It can also be used to send set products to be packed as one set to the packing workshop. In addition, even when a delivery item in the same direction in a delivery business is collected in one container, it can be used to collect the same delivery item by treating one container as one transport tool.

It is a perspective view of the load alignment apparatus of an Example. It is a plane arrangement drawing of the load alignment apparatus of an example. It is explanatory drawing which shows supply of the article | item to the branch lane of an Example. It is a processing flowchart of the control apparatus of allocation of the branch lane of an Example. It is explanatory drawing which shows the payout method of the principal part of this invention. It is explanatory drawing which shows the payout method of the principal part of this invention. It is explanatory drawing which shows the payout method of an Example. It is explanatory drawing which shows the payout method of the principal part of this invention. It is explanatory drawing which shows the example of the allocation method of the shipping destination of the articles | goods stored in the branch lane in this invention.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Assortment apparatus 2 Goods 10 Supply conveyor 11 Branch lane 12 Transfer apparatus 13 Movable stopper (dispensing apparatus)
14 Unloading conveyor

Claims (5)

Supply conveyor for supplying articles, a plurality of branch lanes for temporarily storing articles by transferring articles on the supply conveyor, and a dispensing device for delivering the articles stored in the branch lanes provided at the tip of each branch lane And a method for paying out articles in units of transporting goods using a loading device comprising a carry-out conveyor for receiving and transporting the goods paid out from the payout device,
When an article to be stacked on the same delivery tool of the same shipping destination is stored in one branch lane by one delivery tool unit, the delivery device is operated to deliver the article, and the gap between the article and the article on the carry-out conveyor is substantially reduced. A method for paying out articles in units of transporting tools, wherein the articles are grouped and transported in units of one transporting tool on the transporting conveyor by paying them out to be constant. Supply conveyor for supplying articles, a plurality of branch lanes for temporarily storing articles by transferring articles on the supply conveyor, and a dispensing device for delivering the articles stored in the branch lanes provided at the tip of each branch lane And a method for paying out articles in units of transporting goods using a loading device comprising a carry-out conveyor for receiving and transporting the goods paid out from the payout device,
When the goods to be stacked on the same carrier at the same shipping destination are stored in one branch lane, the delivery device is activated and paid out on the carry-out conveyor, and between the items delivered on the carry-out conveyor A method of paying out articles in units of transporting tools, wherein the articles are grouped and transported in units of one transporting tool on the transporting conveyor by paying out so that the distance between the article centers is substantially constant. Supply conveyor for supplying articles, a plurality of branch lanes for temporarily storing articles by transferring articles on the supply conveyor, and a dispensing device for delivering the articles stored in the branch lanes provided at the tip of each branch lane And a method for paying out articles in units of transporting goods using a loading device comprising a carry-out conveyor for receiving and transporting the goods paid out from the payout device,
When one transporter unit of the same ship-to destination is stored in one or more branch lanes, the payout device is operated to pay out, and the goods of one transporter unit are stored in the same branch lane and then discharged. In the case where the articles are delivered at short intervals in the range where the articles do not interfere with each other on the conveyor, the articles of the same one transporting tool unit are stored in a plurality of branch lanes, and are delivered from a plurality of different branch lanes. Should be discharged from one branch lane at regular time intervals, and when it is discharged onto the transfer conveyor, a group of lengths formed on the transfer conveyor is virtually assumed on the transfer conveyor and should follow thereafter A position where the gap between the group of the first article and the previous article becomes as small as possible is virtually assumed on the carry-out conveyor, and is taken out from another branch lane stored for that virtual position. By paying out the articles on Beya was characterized by conveying grouped articles into a conveying device unit on conveyor, payout method conveyance member units of the article. Supply conveyor for supplying articles, a plurality of branch lanes for temporarily storing articles by transferring articles on the supply conveyor, and a dispensing device for delivering the articles stored in the branch lanes provided at the tip of each branch lane And a method for paying out articles in units of transporting goods using a loading device comprising a carry-out conveyor for receiving and transporting the goods paid out from the payout device,
When an article for one transporting unit is stored in a plurality of branch lanes, numbers are assigned to the articles in the order in which the articles are stored, and the virtual position for placing the article on the carry-out conveyor in the order of the number and each article Assuming virtually the length of the gap corresponding to the length, when paying out an arbitrary article on the carry-out conveyor, pay from the branch lane to the virtual position on the carry-out conveyor corresponding to the article number. A method for delivering an article in units of transporting tools, wherein the articles are grouped and transported in units of one transporting tool on the transporting conveyor. Supply conveyor for supplying articles, a plurality of branch lanes for temporarily storing articles by transferring articles on the supply conveyor, and a dispensing device for delivering the articles stored in the branch lanes provided at the tip of each branch lane And a method for paying out articles in units of transporting goods using a loading device comprising a carry-out conveyor for receiving and transporting the goods paid out from the payout device,
When articles in one transport unit are stored in a plurality of branch lanes, numbers are assigned to the articles in the order in which the articles are stored, and the virtual position where the articles are placed on the carry-out conveyor in that order and a fixed interval between the articles Assuming virtually the length of the item, when an item with an arbitrary item number is dispensed onto the carry-out conveyor, it is dispensed to the virtual position on the carry-out conveyor corresponding to the item number. A method for delivering an article in units of a transporting tool, wherein the articles are grouped and transported in units of one transporting tool.

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