Article loading facility

An article loading facility comprising:

• a loading operation unit that loads a plurality of target articles onto one first supporting member;
• and
• a control unit that controls the loading operation unit,
• wherein:
• the control unit controls the loading operation unit so that the plurality of target articles are loaded onto the first supporting member according to arrangement information that indicates the orientation and the position of each of the plurality of target articles relative to the first supporting member,
• a surface of a target article that faces downward when the target article is in the orientation indicated by the arrangement information is defined as a support-target surface, a surface of a target article that faces upward when the target article is in the orientation indicated by the arrangement information is defined as a first sucking-target surface, and an article that is in an orientation in which the support-target surface faces downward is defined as an article that is in an appropriate orientation,
• the loading operation unit includes:
• a sucking portion that sucks and supports a surface of a target article that is supported by a second supporting member;
• and an operation portion that moves the sucking portion,
• the article loading facility further comprises:
• a detection unit that detects the orientation of a target article that is supported by the second supporting member;
• and a determination unit that determines whether an article that is supported by the second supporting member is an article that is in the appropriate orientation or an article that is in an inappropriate orientation that is not the appropriate orientation, based on detection information obtained by the detection unit,
• the control unit performs first loading control that is to be performed when a target article that has been determined by the determination unit as being an article that is in the appropriate orientation is to be loaded onto the first supporting member in the appropriate orientation, and second loading control that is to be performed when a target article that has been determined by the determination unit as being an article that is in the inappropriate orientation is to be loaded onto the first supporting member in the appropriate orientation,
• the first loading control is performed to control the loading operation unit to suck and support the first sucking-target surface of a target article that is supported by the second supporting member, from above, then move the sucking portion, and thereafter release the target article from the state of being sucked by the sucking portion when the target article is located immediately above the first supporting member and the first sucking-target surface faces upward,
• the second loading control is performed to control the loading operation unit to move the sucking portion so that the sucking portion performs an orientation changing operation to change the orientation of a target article from the inappropriate orientation to the appropriate orientation, and thereafter release the target article from the state of being sucked by the sucking portion when the target article is located immediately above the first supporting member and the first sucking-target surface faces upward,
• the determination unit determines whether a target article that is supported by the second supporting member is in a supportable orientation, in which the first sucking-target surface can be sucked and supported by the sucking portion from above, or an unsupportable orientation, in which the first sucking-target surface cannot be sucked or supported by the sucking portion from above,
• the orientation changing operation performed when a target article that is supported by the second supporting member is in the supportable orientation is an operation that is performed to suck and support the first sucking-target surface of the target article that is supported by the second supporting member, from above, then change the orientation of the target article from the inappropriate orientation to the appropriate orientation, and
• the orientation changing operation performed when a target article that is supported by the second supporting member is in the unsupportable orientation is an operation that is performed to suck and support a second sucking-target surface, which faces upward, of the target article that is supported by the second supporting member, from above, then change the orientation of the target article from the inappropriate orientation to the appropriate orientation and change a surface that is to be sucked by the sucking portion from the second sucking-target surface to the first sucking-target surface.