MATERIAL SUPPLY SYSTEM

• Main Author: TOKUNAGA KEI
• Format: Patent
• Language: English; Japanese
• Published: 26.10.2023
• Subjects: CONTROLLING; CONVEYING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL; PACKING; PERFORMING OPERATIONS; PHYSICS; PNEUMATIC TUBE CONVEYORS; REGULATING; SHOP CONVEYOR SYSTEMS; STORING; SYSTEMS FOR CONTROLLING OR REGULATING NON-ELECTRIC VARIABLES; TRANSPORT OR STORAGE DEVICES, e.g. CONVEYORS FOR LOADING ORTIPPING; TRANSPORTING

To provide a technique that improves work efficiency at a manufacturing site when moving a cart using an automated guided vehicle.SOLUTION: A material supply system includes: an imaging device; and a control device having an image analysis unit that analyzes a position of a cart in a work area and a work state including whether or not the cart is loaded with materials, and an operation control unit that controls an operation of an automatic guided vehicle according to the work state. The operation control unit causes the automatic guided vehicle to: perform, when the work state is in a first state, a cart swapping work including, as one cycle, a first work of transporting a cart housed in a material supply device and not loaded with materials to an empty position in a cart storage area and a second work after the first work of transporting a cart placed in the cart storage area and loaded with materials to a storage location in the material supply device where the cart transported in the first work was stored; and stop, when the work state is in a second state, the cart swapping work at a time point when the second work in one cycle being executed is completed.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1 【課題】無人搬送車により台車を移動させる場合に、製造現場における作業効率を向上させる技術を提供する。【解決手段】材料供給システムは、撮像装置と、作業エリア内の台車の位置および台車が前記材料を積載しているか否かを含む作業状態を解析する画像解析部と、無人搬送車の運行を作業状態に応じて制御する動作制御部と、を有する制御装置と、を備え、動作制御部は、作業状態が第１状態である場合に、材料供給装置に収容され、材料を積載していない台車を、台車置場の空車位置に搬送する第１作業と、第１作業の後に、台車置場に配置され、材料を積載している台車を、材料供給装置のうちで、第１作業において搬送した台車が収容されていた収容場所に搬送する第２作業と、を１サイクルとする台車の入替作業を無人搬送車に実行させ、作業状態が第２状態である場合に、実行中の１サイクルにおける第２作業が完了した時点において、台車の入替作業を停止させる。【選択図】図１