JP2025114031A - Unloading equipment - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide an unloading apparatus for unloading many pieces of luggage, e.g., in a container, which holds the luggage by a suction part and unloads the same by using an articulated robot arm, and further reduces a loading time.SOLUTION: A receiving conveyor 50 with a conveyance direction as a horizontal direction is provided below an arm apparatus 20 having a holding part 30. A lift conveyor 40 with a conveyance direction as an unloading direction is provided on the downstream of the receiving conveyor 50. Luggage 5 grasped by the holding part 30 is transferred onto the receiving conveyor 50 by the operation of the arm apparatus 20. The luggage 5 is conveyed in a horizontal direction and is transferred to the lift conveyor 40. The luggage 5 is unloaded backwards by the lift conveyor 40. In this way, the rotation operation of the arm apparatus 20 onto the lift conveyor 40 is omitted to reduce the loading time.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

This invention relates to a device for unloading multiple cargo items stacked in multiple layers, for example, in the trunk of a truck or in a container.

This type of unloading device is capable of automatically unloading a large number of items without manual intervention. Patent Document 1 discloses an unloading device in which a multi-joint robot is mounted on a cart that enters the luggage compartment, and the multi-joint robot is equipped with a device for gripping items. With this unloading device, the gripped items are transferred to an unloading conveyor connected to the rear by the operation of the multi-joint robot, and then unloaded. Patent Document 2 discloses an unloading device in which a gripper mechanism with a suction pad is provided at the tip of the unloading conveyor. With this unloading device, the gripper mechanism is retracted relative to the transport conveyor while holding the items in place, allowing the items to be transferred onto the transport conveyor.

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2017-206318 Patent No. 7186697

The objective of this disclosure is to provide an unloading device that further shortens the work time required for unloading.

According to one aspect of the present disclosure, the unloading device includes a cart, an articulated arm device mounted on the cart, and a holding unit provided at the tip of the arm device for holding luggage. The unloading device includes an elevator conveyor that extends to the side of the arm device in the unloading direction and is raised and lowered by an elevator device. The unloading device includes a receiving conveyor that is provided upstream of the elevator conveyor and transports luggage received from the holding unit in a lateral direction intersecting the unloading direction.

Therefore, for example, luggage held in the holding section at the loading position in the luggage compartment is transferred onto the receiving conveyor by the operation of the arm device. The luggage transferred onto the receiving conveyor is transported laterally to the upstream side of the side lifting conveyor. The luggage is then transported in the unloading direction by the lifting conveyor and unloaded from the luggage compartment. As a result, the range of movement of the arm device in one unloading operation is sufficient to transfer the luggage from the loading position onto the receiving conveyor. Therefore, by eliminating the need for a pivoting operation to transfer the luggage onto the side lifting conveyor, the operation time of the arm device is shortened. This in turn shortens the work time required for unloading.

1 is an overall perspective view of the unloading device, which shows the unloading device in a standby state on a platform in a truck yard. 1 is an overall perspective view of the unloading device, which shows a state in which the unloading device is holding luggage on the upper level of the opening side of the luggage compartment. 1 is an overall perspective view of the unloading device, which shows a state in which a load is held in the middle of the opening side of the luggage compartment. 1 is an overall perspective view of the unloading device, which shows a state in which the unloading device is holding luggage at the bottom level on the opening side of the luggage compartment. 1 is an overall perspective view of the unloading device, which shows a state in which a baggage is held at the bottommost level at the rear of the luggage compartment. FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the receiving conveyor, as seen from diagonally above to the right. FIG. 8 is a view taken along arrow VIII in FIG. 7, showing a perspective view of a receiving conveyor. FIG. 10 is a plan view of the joint between the receiving conveyor and the lifting conveyor. 1 is a right side view of the connection between the receiving conveyor and the lifting conveyor, showing the state in which the lifting conveyors are positioned approximately parallel to each other. 10 is a right side view of the joint between the receiving conveyor and the lifting conveyor, showing the state in which the lifting conveyor has reached its lower end and the receiving conveyor is in contact with the floor surface of the luggage compartment. FIG. 12 is a view taken along the arrow XII in FIG. 2 and is a left side view of the unloading device. FIG. 1 is a rear view of a luggage compartment in which a large number of luggage items are stacked. FIG. 1 is a rear view of a luggage compartment in which a number of luggage items of different sizes are stacked.

For example, according to one embodiment, the unloading device is provided downstream of the lifting conveyor and has an extendable conveyor that can be extended and retracted in the unloading direction. Therefore, the unloading area for cargo unloaded by the unloading device is expanded rearward in the unloading direction.

For example, according to one embodiment, the receiving conveyor is provided with a sloped section that guides luggage onto the receiving conveyor, and the sloped section is expandable and contractible in a direction intersecting the direction of discharge. Therefore, the sloped section can be expanded and contracted to match the width of the luggage compartment, ensuring that luggage is reliably guided onto the receiving conveyor.

For example, according to one embodiment, the receiving conveyor is provided with a guide conveyor that stands up on the downstream side in the carry-out direction and transports luggage laterally. This ensures that luggage is transported laterally on the receiving conveyor. Furthermore, luggage is prevented from falling off the receiving conveyor downstream in the carry-out direction.

For example, in one embodiment, the lifting device tilts the lifting conveyor in a direction that displaces the upstream side of the lifting conveyor up or down. Therefore, the lifting conveyor is raised or lowered to match the height of the loading position, thereby shortening the transport time of the cargo. This in turn shortens the time required for unloading work.

For example, in one embodiment, the receiving conveyor is connected to the upstream side of the lifting conveyor so that it can tilt up and down, and a stopper is provided that restricts the receiving conveyor's downward tilt and allows it to tilt upward. Therefore, the receiving conveyor is tiltable up and down within a certain range relative to the lifting conveyor. This allows the receiving conveyor to be positioned parallel to the floor of the luggage compartment, for example, by tilting the lifting conveyor downward and bringing the receiving conveyor into contact with the floor of the luggage compartment at the lowest loading height. This allows the arm device to reliably and quickly transfer luggage onto the receiving conveyor.

For example, according to one embodiment, the unloading device has a camera attached to the arm device and a controller that recognizes luggage based on the image from the camera and operates the arm device and the holding unit. Therefore, the camera and controller operate the arm device and the holding unit to unload the luggage.

For example, in one embodiment, when the controller recognizes multiple packages lined up horizontally, it operates the arm device and holding unit to deliver the packages to the receiving conveyor in order from the side closest to the lifting conveyor to the side furthest from the lifting conveyor. This allows multiple packages stacked horizontally to be unloaded efficiently, shortening the work time.

As shown in Figures 1-5, the unloading device 1 of this embodiment is used to unload a large number of packages 5 loaded into the cargo compartment (container) 3 of a truck parked in a truck yard 2. As shown in Figure 13, the large number of packages 5 are, for example, cardboard boxes stacked side-by-side in multiple layers in the cargo compartment 3. The large number of packages 5 are sequentially unloaded onto the platform 4 of the truck yard 2 by the unloading device 1. This embodiment illustrates the case where the packages 5 are unloaded from the rear opening of the cargo compartment 3. In the following description, the front-to-rear, up-down, and left-to-right directions are based on the truck or the cargo compartment 3.

The unloading device 1 has a cart 10 and an arm device 20. The cart 10 has endless tracks 11 on the left and right. The left and right endless tracks 11 are rotated in the forward and backward directions by a drive motor 12. This allows the cart 10 to move forward and backward on its own. The arm device 20 is mounted on the cart 10.

The arm device 20 is an articulated robot arm, and in this embodiment, a six-axis articulated robot is used. A control cart 13 is connected to the rear of the cart 10. A number of casters 14 are provided on the bottom of the control cart 13. The control cart 13 moves forward and backward together with the cart 10 on the platform 4, with the casters 14 in contact with the ground. A controller 21 is mounted on the control cart 13. The controller 21 mainly houses a control board containing a control program for controlling the operation of the arm device 20.

A holding unit 30 is provided at the tip of the arm device 20. As shown in Figure 6, it has a rectangular, flat base 35. A plurality of suction pads 31 are provided on the front surface of the base 35. Each suction pad 31 is connected to a vacuum generator (not visible in the figure). The suction pads 31 vacuum-suck and hold the load 5.

Lighting fixtures 32 are provided at the top and middle positions of the base unit 35. The two upper and lower tiers of lighting fixtures 32 brightly illuminate the luggage 5 held in front. Two types of cameras 33, 34 are arranged at the top of the base unit 35. The two types of cameras 33, 34 are, for example, a 2D camera and a 3D camera. The 3D camera is, for example, a TOF (Time of Flight) camera. The captured image data is processed to calculate the distance to the luggage 5 and its outer shape. The obtained coordinate values, etc. are input into the controller 21. Based on this, the operation of the arm device 20 is mainly controlled by the controller 21.

An elevating conveyor 40 is arranged in parallel to the left side of the cart 10 and arm device 20. The elevating conveyor 40 includes a base frame 15 and an inclined conveyor 44. As shown in Figure 12, the base frame 15 is connected to the left side of the cart 10. A plurality of casters 16 are provided on the bottom of the base frame 15. The casters 16 are in contact with the platform 4 or the floor surface 6 of the luggage compartment 3, allowing the base frame 15 to move back and forth together with the cart 10.

One inclined conveyor 44 is supported on the base frame 15. A belt conveyor is used as the inclined conveyor 44. The lifting conveyor 40 is supported on the left side of the cart 10 and arm device 20. The rear of the inclined conveyor 44 is supported on the base frame 15 via a lifting shaft 41 so that it can tilt up and down. The drive roller of the inclined conveyor 44 is arranged coaxially with the lifting shaft 41.

A lifting device 42 is interposed between the inclined conveyor 44 and the base frame 15. The lifting device 42 uses an electric cylinder that combines an electric motor and a screw shaft device. The extension and contraction of the lifting device 42 causes the inclined conveyor 44 to tilt up and down. The inclined conveyor 44 can tilt up and down within a range of approximately 20° from a horizontal position. The lifting conveyor 40 can be tilted to a rearward-inclined position in which the front side (upstream side) is displaced upward. In the rearward-inclined position in which it is tilted upward by approximately 20°, the front side of the inclined conveyor 44 approaches the upper part (ceiling) of the cargo compartment 3. The lifting conveyor 40 can be tilted to a forward-inclined position in which the front side (upstream side) is displaced downward. In the forward-inclined position in which it is tilted downward by approximately 20°, the front side of the inclined conveyor 44 approaches the platform 4 or the floor 6 of the cargo compartment 3.

The lifting conveyor 40 transports the luggage 5 backward. The transport direction of the lifting conveyor 40 corresponds to the unloading direction indicated by the white arrow in Figure 12.

A receiving conveyor 50 is provided at the front side of the lifting conveyor 40. The receiving conveyor 50 has a rectangular receiving frame 51 that is long from side to side. Casters 55 are attached to the underside of the receiving frame 51 for contact with the floor 6 of the luggage compartment 3. The left side of the rear surface of the receiving frame 51 is connected to the conveyor frame 45 of the inclined conveyor 44 via a pair of left and right support shafts 52. The left and right support shafts 52 are arranged coaxially. The left and right support shafts 52 support the receiving conveyor 50 so that it can rotate up and down within a certain angle range relative to the inclined conveyor 44.

A pair of left and right stopper pieces 53 are provided on the left rear surface of the receiving frame 51. The left and right stopper pieces 53 extend rearward. A pair of left and right stopper bolts 46 are provided on the conveyor frame 45 of the inclined conveyor 44. As shown in Figure 10, the left and right stopper pieces 53 abut against the stopper bolts 46 from below, restricting the downward tilt of the receiving conveyor 50 (counterclockwise in Figure 10). At the downward tilt, the conveying surface of the receiving conveyor 50 and the conveying surface of the inclined conveyor 44 form an angle of approximately 165°. As a result, the receiving conveyor 50 is always maintained in a rearward tilted position with its front side displaced upward, except when it descends to near the floor 6 of the luggage compartment 3.

As shown in Figure 11, when the lifting conveyor 40 is displaced to a forward-leaning position and the receiving conveyor 50 contacts the floor 6 of the cargo compartment 3 via the casters 55, the receiving conveyor 50 is tilted around the support shaft 52 in a direction (clockwise in Figure 11) that relatively displaces its front side upward. This causes the left and right stopper pieces 53 to move away from the stopper bolts 46. When the receiving conveyor 50 is tilted upward relative to the inclined conveyor 44, the conveying surfaces of the two conveyors form an angle of approximately 158°. When the lifting conveyor 40 is returned upward and the receiving conveyor 50 moves away from the floor 6 of the cargo compartment 3, the conveying surfaces of the receiving conveyor 50 and the inclined conveyor 44 return to a positional relationship in which the angle between the conveying surfaces is approximately 165°.

Although not visible in the diagram, a proximity sensor is also installed inside (to the left of) the right-side stopper bolt 46. When this proximity sensor detects the stopper piece 53, it is confirmed that the receiving conveyor 50 is at the downward tilt limit. If the proximity sensor does not detect anything, it is confirmed that the receiving conveyor 50 has been tilted relatively upward and has come into contact with, for example, the floor surface 6 of the luggage compartment 3.

The receiving conveyor 50 is positioned so as to cross left and right in front of the arm device 20. The receiving conveyor 50 has multiple upstream rollers 56 and multiple downstream rollers 57. The upstream rollers 56 are positioned in approximately three-quarters of the right side of the receiving frame 51. The upstream rollers 56 are rotatably supported in a position extending back and forth across the front frame 51a and rear frame 51b of the receiving frame 51. As a result, the conveying direction of the upstream rollers 56 is horizontal, from right to left.

The downstream roller 57 is positioned in approximately one-quarter of the left side of the receiving frame 51. The downstream roller 57 is rotatably supported in an extended position between the middle frame 51c and left frame 51d of the receiving frame 51. As a result, the conveying direction of the downstream roller 57 faces backward, which coincides with the discharge direction of the elevating conveyor 40. To the left of the downstream roller 57, on the left frame 51d of the receiving frame 51, a stopper wall 58 is provided in an upwardly raised position. The stopper wall 58 prevents the package 5 from falling off the downstream roller 57 to the left.

The upstream roller 56 and downstream roller 57 are rotated in the conveying direction by their own drive motors (not visible in the figure). The luggage 5 transferred to the upstream roller 56 is transported to the left and reaches the downstream roller 57. The luggage 5 transferred from the upstream roller 56 to the downstream roller 57, or the luggage 5 transferred directly to the downstream roller 57, is transported backward and placed on the lifting conveyor 40.

A single transfer roller 59 is supported between the downstream roller 57 and the lifting conveyor 40. The transfer roller 59 is supported so that it can rotate around an axis of rotation parallel to the downstream roller 57. The transfer roller 59 allows for smoother transport of cargo from the downstream roller 57 to the lifting conveyor 40.

A slope section 60 is provided at the front of the receiving conveyor 50. The slope section 60 has a central fixed slope 61 and left and right movable slopes 62, 63. The fixed slope 61 is fixed immovably in the center of the front frame 51a in the left-right direction. The left and right movable slopes 62, 63 are supported along the front frame 51a so that they can move left and right. The fixed slope 61 and the left and right movable slopes 62, 63 are inclined in a direction that displaces the front portion downward. The slope section 60 allows the luggage 5 to be transferred smoothly onto the receiving conveyor 50.

As shown in Figure 8, the left and right movable slopes 62, 63 are supported on the front frame 51a via slide guides 62a, 63a. The left and right movable slopes 62, 63 are slid left and right by the extension and retraction of slide cylinders 62b, 63b, respectively. The left and right movable slopes 62, 63 can each slide a maximum of approximately 200 mm. This allows the slope section 60 to extend and retract within a range of approximately 1,850 to 2,250 mm in left-right width.

The left and right movable slopes 62, 63 slide in the expanding or contracting direction to match the left and right width of the luggage compartment 3. This allows the slope section 60 to be deployed across the entire width of the luggage compartment 3. This ensures that luggage 5 near the left and right ends of the luggage compartment 3 can also be reliably transferred onto the receiving conveyor 50 via the slope section 60.

As shown in Figures 7 to 9, a guide conveyor 70 is provided at the rear of the receiving conveyor 50. The guide conveyor 70 is supported by the rear frame 51b of the receiving frame 51. A belt conveyor is used for the guide conveyor 70. The guide conveyor 70 has an endless belt 72 driven by a unique electric motor 71. The output of the electric motor 71 is reduced in speed by a gear head 71a before being output. The endless belt 72 is stretched between a drive pulley 71b and a driven pulley 71c attached to the output shaft of the gear head 71a.

The guide conveyor 70 is positioned in a rear area of the upstream roller 56 of the receiving conveyor 50, rising above the conveying surface of the receiving conveyor 50. The conveying surface of the guide conveyor 70 (endless belt 72) faces forward.

The guide conveyor 70 prevents the luggage 5 transferred onto the receiving conveyor 50 from falling backward. The conveying direction of the guide conveyor 70 coincides with the conveying direction of the upstream roller 56 of the receiving conveyor 50. The luggage 5 transferred onto the receiving conveyor 50 is also conveyed to the left (onto the downstream roller 57) by the guide conveyor 70.

As shown in Figures 1 to 5, an extendable conveyor 80 is connected to the downstream side (rear) of the lifting conveyor 40. The extendable conveyor 80 has six upper and lower slide conveyors 81 to 86. Except for the bottommost slide conveyor 86, each slide conveyor 81 to 85 slides back and forth, causing the extendable conveyor 80 to extend and retract back and forth. A front leg 80a is provided in front of the topmost slide conveyor 81. A rear leg 80b is provided at the rear of each of the six upper and lower slide conveyors 81 to 86. The front and rear legs 80a, 80b are in contact with the platform 4 or the floor 6 of the luggage compartment 3.

As shown in Figures 5 and 12, the front of the top slide conveyor 81 is supported by the base frame 15. This connects the front of the extendable conveyor 80 to the rear of the lifting conveyor 40. Packages 5 on the lifting conveyor 40 are smoothly transferred onto the extendable conveyor 80.

As the cart 10 moves forward, the upper slide conveyors are pulled forward relative to the lower slide conveyors. When the cart 10 reaches the back of the luggage compartment 3 as shown in Figure 5, all upper slide conveyors are pulled forward relative to the lower slide conveyors, reaching their maximum extension. The lowest slide conveyor 86 is fixed in its standby position.

Each slide conveyor 81-86 slides back and forth in a generally horizontal position. Each slide conveyor 81-86 has an endless belt driven by its own electric motor. Baggage 5 transferred from the lifting conveyor 40 is transported rearward sequentially on the slide conveyors 81-86.

When the carriage 10 moves backward, the upper slide conveyor is returned to above the lower slide conveyor. This causes the extension conveyor 80 to retract toward the standby position.

The trolley 10 advances from the standby position shown in Figure 1 to the rear opening of the luggage compartment 3 shown in Figure 2. During the process of reaching the rear opening position shown in Figure 2, two cameras 33, 34 mounted on the holding unit 30 process image data of the luggage 5 to be held, and the distance to the luggage 5 and its outer shape (e.g., four sides 5a, 5b, 5c, 5d) are calculated. Based on this, the operation of the arm device 20 is primarily controlled at the rear opening position, thereby commencing the operation of holding the luggage 5. During the holding operation, for example, as shown in Figure 13, each suction pad 31 of the holding unit 30 first abuts against the rear surface of the top left luggage 5.

The lifting conveyor 40 tilts upward in accordance with the operation of the arm device 20 and the holding unit 30. This moves the receiving conveyor 50 to directly below the holding unit 30. With the suction pads 31 in contact and the luggage 5 held by suction, the arm device 20 operates to pull the luggage 5 above the receiving conveyor 50. The arm device 20 then operates to transfer the pulled luggage 5 to, for example, the downstream roller 57 of the receiving conveyor 50. In the case of luggage on the right side of the luggage compartment 3, it is transferred to the upstream roller 56. By transferring the luggage 5 to a location closer to the loading position, the operation time of the arm device 20 is shortened.

The luggage 5 transferred onto the receiving conveyor 50 is transported laterally to the left by the upstream rollers 56 and guide conveyor 70. The luggage 5 transported laterally and transferred onto the downstream rollers 57 is then transported in the unloading direction (rearward) and transferred onto the lifting conveyor 40. The luggage 5 transferred onto the lifting conveyor 40 is carried out in the unloading direction. The luggage 5 is then unloaded onto the platform 4 by the extendable conveyor 80.

After the luggage 5 on the left side of the luggage compartment 3 is transferred onto the receiving conveyor 50, the arm device 20 operates to bring the holding section 30 into contact with the luggage 5 on the right side, which is then transferred onto the receiving conveyor 50. In this way, the arm device 20, the lifting conveyor 40, and the extendable conveyor 80 simultaneously transport the luggage in the unloading direction.

The luggage 5 in the luggage compartment 3 is transferred sequentially onto the receiving conveyor 50 as the holding unit 30 moves from left to right. Once the uppermost luggage 5 is unloaded, the luggage 5 is sequentially held and unloaded from the left side of the middle tier. As shown in Figure 3, the lifting conveyor 40 is moved to a substantially horizontal position, and the luggage 5 in the middle tier is held by the holding unit 30 and transferred onto the receiving conveyor 50.

Once the luggage 5 on the middle level has been unloaded, the lifting conveyor 40 is displaced downward as shown in Figure 4, and the unloading operation continues with the receiving conveyor 50 resting on the floor 6 of the luggage compartment 3 or the platform 4. In this case, too, the transfer of the luggage 5 onto the receiving conveyor 50 and the removal operation by the lifting conveyor 40 are carried out simultaneously in parallel. The operation of the arm device 20 is limited to moving the holding section 30 between the loading position and the release position on the receiving conveyor 50.

As unloading proceeds from the rear opening of the luggage compartment 3, the trolley 10 advances sequentially toward the rear of the luggage compartment 3. Accordingly, the extendable conveyor 80 extends. As shown in FIG. 5, the lower luggage 5 is unloaded at the rear of the luggage compartment 3. At this stage, just like the lower level at the opening of the luggage compartment 3 shown in FIG. 4, the lifting conveyor 40 is displaced downward, and the receiving conveyor 50 is in contact with the floor 6 as unloading proceeds. The last luggage 5 is transferred onto the receiving conveyor 50 at the rear of the luggage compartment 3. This last luggage 5 is then unloaded via the lifting conveyor 40 and extendable conveyor 80. When all luggage 5 in the luggage compartment 3 have been unloaded in this manner, the arm device 20 and holding unit 30 are returned to their initial positions, and the trolley 10 is returned from the luggage compartment 3 onto the platform 4. This returns the unloading device 1 to its standby position.

In the embodiment described above, the unloading device 1 includes a cart 10, an articulated arm device 20 mounted on the cart 10, and a holding unit 30 provided at the tip of the arm device 20 for holding luggage 5. The unloading device 1 also includes an elevating conveyor 40 that extends in the unloading direction to the side of the arm device 20 and is raised and lowered by an elevating device 42. The unloading device 1 also includes a receiving conveyor 50 that is provided upstream of the elevating conveyor 40 and transports luggage 5 received from the holding unit 30 in a lateral direction intersecting the unloading direction.

Therefore, for example, a piece of luggage 5 held by the holding section 30 at the loading position in the luggage compartment 3 is transferred onto the receiving conveyor 50 by the operation of the arm device 20. The luggage 5 transferred onto the receiving conveyor 50 is transported laterally (from right to left) to the upstream side of the side lifting conveyor 40. The luggage 5 is then transported in the outgoing direction by the lifting conveyor 40 and unloaded from the luggage compartment 3. As a result, the range of movement of the arm device 20 in one unloading operation is sufficient to transfer the luggage 5 from the loading position onto the receiving conveyor 50. Therefore, by eliminating the need for a pivoting operation to transfer the luggage 5 onto the side lifting conveyor 40, the operating time of the arm device 20 is shortened. This also shortens the work time required for unloading.

In this embodiment, the unloading device 1 is provided downstream of the lifting conveyor 40 and has an extendable conveyor 80 that can extend and retract in the unloading direction. Therefore, the unloading area for the luggage 5 unloaded by the unloading device 1 is expanded rearward in the unloading direction. This allows for efficient unloading operations on the wide platform 4.

In this embodiment, the receiving conveyor 50 is provided with a guide conveyor 70 that stands up on the downstream side in the carry-out direction and transports the luggage 5 laterally. This ensures that the luggage 5 is transported laterally on the receiving conveyor 50. Furthermore, the guide conveyor 70 prevents the luggage 5 from falling off the receiving conveyor 50 downstream in the carry-out direction.

In this embodiment, the lifting device 42 tilts the inclined conveyor 44 in a direction that displaces the upstream side (front side) of the lifting conveyor 40 up and down. This displaces the receiving conveyor 50 up and down. Therefore, the receiving conveyor 50 is raised and lowered to match the height of the loading position, thereby shortening the transport time of the luggage 5. This also shortens the work time required for unloading.

In this embodiment, the receiving conveyor 50 is connected to the upstream side of the lifting conveyor 40 so that it can tilt up and down, and is provided with a stopper bolt 46 that restricts downward tilting of the receiving conveyor 50 while allowing upward tilting. Therefore, the receiving conveyor 50 is tiltable up and down within a certain range relative to the inclined conveyor 44. As a result, for example, by tilting the lifting conveyor 40 downward and bringing the receiving conveyor 50 into contact with the floor 6 of the luggage compartment 3 at the lowest loading height, the receiving conveyor 50 can be positioned in a grounded position parallel to the floor 6 of the luggage compartment 3. This allows the arm device 20 to reliably and quickly transfer the luggage 5 onto the receiving conveyor 50.

According to this embodiment, the unloading device 1 has a controller 21 that recognizes, for example, four sides 5a to 5d of the luggage 5 based on images from two cameras 33, 34 provided on the holding unit 30, and operates the arm device 20 and holding unit 30. Therefore, the arm device 20 and holding unit 30 operate based on the image data obtained by the two cameras 33, 34, and the luggage is unloaded.

In this embodiment, when the controller 21 recognizes multiple pieces of luggage 5 lined up horizontally at the loading position, it operates the arm device 20 and the holding unit 30 to transfer the pieces of luggage 5 to the receiving conveyor 50 in order from the left side closest to the lifting conveyor 40 to the right side furthest. Therefore, multiple pieces of luggage 5 loaded horizontally can be unloaded efficiently, shortening the work time.

Various modifications can be made to the embodiment described above. For example, while the lifting conveyor 40 has been illustrated as tilting up and down around the lifting shaft 41, it may also be configured to move up and down parallel to the vertical axis.

The receiving conveyor 50 is exemplified as a roller conveyor having upstream rollers 56 and downstream rollers 57, but it may also be changed to an upstream belt conveyor with a horizontal conveying direction and a downstream belt conveyor with a conveying direction in the unloading direction.

The lifting conveyor 40 can be a roller conveyor instead of a belt conveyor. In this case, it is desirable to use a roller conveyor that has a strong grip on the cargo. Also, the guide conveyor 70 can be a roller conveyor instead of a belt conveyor.

The telescopic conveyor 80 may be omitted.

Although a six-axis controlled articulated robot arm has been exemplified as the arm device 20 to which the holding unit 30 is attached at its tip, an arm device combining, for example, an X-Y-Z sliding mechanism and a rotation mechanism can be used instead.

The illustrated unloading device 1 is not limited to cases where the luggage 5 stacked in the luggage compartment 3 are all the same size, as shown in Figure 13, but can also be used to unload large luggage 5 and small luggage 7 mixed in the luggage compartment 3, as shown in Figure 14. For small luggage 7, the size (external dimensions) of the luggage 7 can also be calculated by recognizing one or more of the four sides 7a, 7b, 7c, and 7d using cameras 33 and 34.

The illustrated unloading device 1 is not limited to unloading operations on the platform 4, but can also be used in sorting operations where unloaded luggage 5 is sorted manually or by robotic devices in a sorting area downstream of the lifting conveyor 40 or extendable conveyor 80 and adjacent to the platform 4.

The illustrated unloading device 1 is not limited to unloading luggage 5 from the luggage compartment 3, but can also be used, for example, to transport luggage stacked inside a warehouse out of the warehouse.

1...unloading device 2...truck yard 3...cargo room (container)
4...Platform 5...Luggage (large)
5a, 5b, 5c, 5d...side 6...floor 7...luggage (small)
7a, 7b, 7c, 7d... Side 10... Cart 11... Endless track 12... Drive motor 13... Control cart 14... Caster 15... Base frame 16... Caster 20... Arm device 21... Controller 30... Holding unit 31... Suction pad 32... Lighting fixtures 33, 34... Camera 35... Base unit 40... Lifting conveyor 41... Lifting shaft 42... Lifting device 44... Inclined conveyor 45... Conveyor frame 46... Stopper bolt 50... Receiving conveyor 51... Receiving frame 51a... Front frame, 51b... Rear frame, 51c... Intermediate frame, 51d... Left frame 52... Support shaft 53... Stopper piece 55... Caster 56... Upstream roller 57... Downstream roller 58... Stopper wall 59... Transfer roller 60... Slope unit 61... Fixed slope 62... Movable slope (left)
62a...slide guide, 62b...slide cylinder, 63...movable slope (right)
63a...slide guide, 63b...slide cylinder 70...guide conveyor 71...electric motor 71a...gear head, 71b...driving pulley, 71c...follower pulley 72...endless belt 80...extendable conveyor 80a...front leg portion, 80b...rear leg portion 81 to 86...slide conveyor

Claims (8)

An unloading device comprising:
A trolley and
a multi-joint arm device mounted on the carriage;
a holding portion provided at the tip of the arm device to hold luggage;
a lifting conveyor extending in a carry-out direction at the side of the arm device and lifted and lowered by a lifting device;
An unloading device having a receiving conveyor provided upstream of the lifting conveyor for transporting the cargo received from the holding section in a lateral direction intersecting the carrying-out direction. 2. The unloading device according to claim 1,
An unloading device is provided downstream of the lifting conveyor and has an extendable conveyor that is extendable in the unloading direction. 3. The unloading device according to claim 1 or 2,
The receiving conveyor is provided with a slope portion that guides the luggage onto the receiving conveyor,
The unloading device, wherein the slope portion is expandable and contractable in a direction intersecting the carrying-out direction. 3. The unloading device according to claim 1 or 2,
The unloading device is provided with a guide conveyor that stands on the downstream side of the receiving conveyor in the carrying-out direction and transports the luggage in the lateral direction. 3. The unloading device according to claim 1 or 2,
The lifting device is an unloading device that tilts the lifting conveyor in a direction that displaces the upstream side of the lifting conveyor up and down. 6. The unloading device according to claim 5,
the receiving conveyor is connected to the upstream side of the elevating conveyor so as to be tiltable in the vertical direction;
The unloading device is provided with a stopper that restricts downward tilting of the receiving conveyor and allows upward tilting. 3. The unloading device according to claim 1 or 2,
a camera provided on the arm device;
An unloading device having a controller that recognizes luggage based on images from the camera and operates the arm device and the holding portion. 8. The unloading device according to claim 7,
When the controller recognizes a plurality of pieces of luggage arranged horizontally, the unloading device delivers the pieces to the receiving conveyor in the order from the side closest to the lifting conveyor to the side furthest from the lifting conveyor.