JP5811040B2 - Operation method of article sorting equipment and article sorting equipment - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an operation method of an article sorting facility and an article sorting facility for sorting and collecting stored articles as necessary.

  Goods sorting equipment is equipment that receives orders from many sorting companies (individual users, stores, business partners, etc.), collects goods (products) for each sorting company, and delivers / ships them. It will be installed in a merchandise distribution center for sale.

Here, for example, as disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2004-133620, the collection of articles is performed by arranging articles while conveying collection containers (containers, etc.) to which a user (sorting destination) is assigned by a conveyor. This is done by taking out articles from the article storage section of the shelves according to orders and putting them into the collection containers.
If the ordered items are not stored on the shelves, the items cannot be put into the collection containers on the conveyor. In order to collect goods, it is indispensable to supply goods to the shelves. If the ordered item is not stored on the shelf, stop the conveyor to stop moving the collection container and wait for the supply of the item to the shelf, or handle the required item as a missing item. As soon as the collection container is transported and the collection work performed while the collection container is being conveyed by the conveyor is completed, the work such as whether to supply the missing item to the collection container is performed. In any case, the efficiency of the collection work is reduced.
As equipment for supplying articles to a shelf, Patent Document 2 discloses a sorting system using an automatic warehouse having a stacker crane. In this sorting system, since the stacker crane automatically supplies cases (articles) to the entrance of the sorting equipment shelf, there is a situation in which the required articles are not stored in the shelf. There is little fear.

JP 2008-195482 A JP 2006-117366 A

Sorting equipment, such as a merchandise distribution center, is responsible for keeping all types of goods that can be ordered. For example, for products placed in a catalog for mail order, if there is an order for any kind of goods, there is a responsibility to respond to it. If a specific item is not stored just because the order is less frequently, when the user (sorting destination) orders the item, it must be re-stocked by the manufacturer, etc., and the item is shipped to the user. It may take a long time and complaints may be received from users who are dissatisfied.
However, in the sorting system as described in Patent Document 2, all types of articles that may receive orders are stored in an article storage unit (for example, a compartment storage space for articles in an automatic warehouse) that can be automatically delivered by a stacker crane. If it keeps, the number of article storage parts will increase. As the number of article storage units increases, the size of the automatic warehouse increases, the overall size of the sorting equipment increases, and the cost of the equipment increases. In addition, it takes time for the stacker crane to search for and deliver goods.
If the sorting facility takes time for delivery, the time from receiving the order until it is shipped (shipped) to the user becomes longer, and there may be complaints from users who are still dissatisfied.
Therefore, in order to avoid dissatisfaction for the user in the sorting equipment, it is necessary to prepare all kinds of articles that may be ordered, but if all kinds are arranged, the number of article storage units is as described above. There is a dilemma that increases the equipment cost and takes time to issue the goods, resulting in time-consuming shipment and dissatisfaction for the user.

As a method for solving this dilemma, articles that are ordered by many users (sorting destinations) and shipped in large quantities every day (high-frequency goods) are stored in the article storage section of the automatic warehouse. Suppose that goods that are rarely ordered (low-frequency goods) are stored in a separate area from the automatic warehouse and supplied from that area when necessary, while supplying them to the shelf of the automatic sorting equipment. It is done.
However, which article is a high-frequency product varies depending on the season, the timing of sales, the frequency of sales, and the like, and a specific product is not always a high-frequency product. Conversely, an article that was a low frequency product at one time may become a high frequency product at another time. For example, as for clothing, it changes depending on the season whether summer or winter items become high-frequency items or low-frequency items.
Therefore, in the current order environment (season, timing of sales, order results, etc.), the attribute of the item (whether it is a high-frequency item, a low-frequency item, or an intermediate-frequency item) After judging, the articles must be exchanged between the automatic warehouse and other areas as necessary.
However, in the past, such determination on the attribute of an article has been left to an operator or an operator of a sorting facility (for example, an administrator of a distribution center). In this case, it is necessary to determine how often the goods are compared with the order environment. Since the articles are replaced after the determination is completed, there is a problem that it takes time and effort.

  Therefore, in the present invention, in a sorting facility in which the required frequency of an article may change, an operator or an operator of the sorting facility determines how often the article is for each article. It is an object of the present invention to provide a sorting facility operating method and a sorting facility that can be exchanged with little effort and time.

  In order to achieve the above-described object, the invention according to claim 1 of the present invention has a plurality of storage areas in which a plurality of articles are stored, and is attributed according to the frequency requested by the sorting destination. The article is a method of operating an article sorting facility in which each article is stored in a storage area corresponding to the attribute, and the attribute of the article is determined based on the order environment of the article according to a time schedule or an external command, and the determination As a result, an instruction to output the article whose attribute has changed from the current storage area and store it in the storage area corresponding to the attribute is output.

  According to the operation method, the attribute of the article, such as how often the article is, is determined based on the order environment, and for the article whose attribute has changed, a command is output to change the storage location.

  The invention according to claim 2 is an operation method of the article sorting equipment according to claim 1, wherein the order environment of the article is the season, the frequency of sales, the number of orders ordered from the sort destination for each article. The attribute of the article is determined using at least one of statistics.

  According to the above operation method, the worker determines how often each article is at the work site each time the season changes, the article to be sold changes, or an article with many orders changes. There is no need.

  The invention according to claim 3 is the operation method of the article sorting equipment according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the article can be carried in and out using a movable cargo bed as the storage area. A loading platform area and an automatic loading / unloading area capable of automatically loading / unloading articles into / from the area are provided, and an article having an attribute of a low-frequency product that is less frequently requested by a sorting destination is provided in the loading platform area. The article having the attribute of the medium frequency product having a higher frequency requested from the sorting destination than the low frequency product is stored in the automatic loading / unloading area, and the attribute is determined from the medium frequency product as a result of the determination of the attribute of the article. Outputs an instruction to unload the article changed to a low-frequency item from the automatic loading / unloading area to the loading platform area and store it in the loading platform area, and to change the attribute from the low-frequency item to the medium-frequency item from the loading platform area. Automatic entry It is characterized in that for outputting a stored command to the automatic entry and leaving area unloaded into cold storage area.

  According to the above operation method, low-frequency products are stored in a loading platform area where goods can be carried in and out using a movable loading platform, so that the number of products tends to be large and the frequency of product switching is likely to occur. The storage layout can be easily changed for products.

  The invention according to claim 4 is the operation method of the article sorting equipment according to claim 3, wherein a storage transport line for automatically transporting the article is provided between the automatic loading / unloading area and the loading platform area. The article whose attribute has been changed from the medium frequency product to the low frequency product by a command to carry the article changed from the medium frequency product to the low frequency product from the automatic loading / unloading area to the cargo bed area and store it in the cargo bed area. The storage transport line is automatically discharged from the automatic loading / unloading area to the storage transport line, and the storage transport line is operated so that the articles on the storage transport line are transported from the automatic loading / unloading area to the loading platform area. In response to an instruction to carry out an article that has changed from an article to a medium frequency article from the loading platform area to the automatic loading / unloading area and store it in the loading / unloading area, The position of the loading platform on which the article whose attribute has changed from the low frequency product to the medium frequency product is displayed, and based on this display, the attribute is changed from the low frequency product to the medium frequency product. When the changed article is placed on the storage conveyance line, the storage conveyance line is operated so that the article is conveyed from the cargo bed area to the automatic loading / unloading area.

  According to the above operation method, since the conveyance of the article between the automatic loading / unloading area and the loading platform area is automatically performed by the storage conveyance line, the worker can move between the storage conveyance line and each loading platform in the loading platform area. The goods need only be moved, and there is no need to reciprocate between the automatic loading / unloading area and the cargo bed area. Further, since the position of the article to be moved is displayed in units of the loading platform, it is not necessary to check each article as to where the article to be moved is located in the loading platform area.

  The invention according to claim 5 has a plurality of storage areas in which a plurality of articles are stored, and the articles that are attributed according to the frequency requested by the sorting destination are respectively stored in the storage areas corresponding to the attributes. An article sorting facility to be stored, comprising an arrangement management device that manages attributes of the article according to a required frequency, and the arrangement management device sets the attribute of the article according to a time schedule or an external command. Output based on the order environment, and outputs a command to store the article whose attribute has changed as a result of the determination from the current storage area and store it in the storage area corresponding to the attribute. is there.

According to the above configuration, the placement management apparatus determines the attribute of the article (how much the attribute is the article) based on the order environment, and instructs the placement management apparatus to change the storage location for the article whose attribute has changed. Is output.
The invention according to claim 6 is the article sorting facility according to claim 5, wherein the storage area can be used to move an article having an attribute of a low-frequency article that is requested less frequently from the sorting destination. A cargo bed area in which low frequency products can be carried in and out by the cargo bed, and items having an attribute of medium frequency products whose frequency requested from the sorting destination is higher than that of the low frequency products are stored in the area. An automatic loading / unloading area capable of automatically loading / unloading the article, and the placement management device determines the attribute of the article as a result of changing the attribute from the medium frequency product to the low frequency product. Is output from the automatic loading / unloading area to the loading platform area and stored in the loading platform area, and articles whose attributes are changed from low frequency products to medium frequency products are transferred from the loading platform area to the automatic loading / unloading area. Automatic loading and unloading It is characterized in that for outputting a stored command to the rear.

  According to the above configuration, by storing low-frequency products in a loading platform area where goods can be loaded and unloaded using a movable loading platform, low-frequency products that tend to have a large number of types and are likely to change types. The storage layout can be easily changed.

  The operation method of the article sorting equipment and the article sorting equipment according to the present invention do not require the operator to determine the frequency of each article at the work site. Can be quickly rearranged in an appropriate area, and the work efficiency is improved.

It is a top view which shows the principal part structure of the sorting equipment as an example of embodiment of this invention. It is a top view which shows schematic structure of the loading platform area in the said equipment. It is a block diagram which shows the relationship between each structure in the equipment. It is a figure which shows the various data which manage the information of the container and articles | goods in the equipment, (a) is a schematic diagram of container data, (b) is a schematic diagram of storage data, (c) is a schematic diagram of inventory data. . It is a flowchart which shows the operation method of the said equipment. It is a figure which shows the mode of the warehousing work to the loading platform area in the said equipment. It is a figure which shows the mode of the leaving work from the loading platform area in the said equipment.

Hereinafter, an example of an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of a main part of a sorting facility according to an embodiment of the present invention, and a first cargo bed along a storage conveyor 11 (an example of a storage transport line) that communicates between an article arrival area and a shipment area. An area 12, a fixed shelf area 50, an automatic loading / unloading area 13, and a second loading platform area 15 are arranged.

[First cargo bed area 12 and second cargo bed area 15]
As shown in FIG. 2 (here, the second loading platform area 15 is shown), the first loading platform area 12 and the second loading platform area 15 are containers 21 (an example of a loading platform) in which containers 14 storing a plurality of articles of the same type are stored. For example, a plurality of blocks 24 in which two rows of trolleys 21 are arranged back to back across the passage 23 are set. This block 24 is set in a rough range and can be used flexibly. The first cargo bed area 12 and the second cargo bed area 15 have a first stock management device 30 and a second stock management device 30 for managing the locations of the containers 14 stored in the first cargo bed area 12 or the second cargo bed area 15, respectively. Each stock management device 33 is provided.
In the present embodiment, the first cargo bed area 12 has the highest frequency of articles (for example, popular hot-selling products or featured products on flyers) that are most frequently requested by the sorting destination in the sorting equipment. Frequency items are stored, and in the second cargo bed area 15, low-frequency items (for example, old season products such as summer clothing and winter clothing in the autumn or next season products) that are less frequently requested by the sorting destination are stored. Yes.

[Fixed shelf area 50]
As shown in FIG. 1, the fixed shelf area 50 is an area for storing the container 14 in a fixed shelf 52 whose position is fixed. In the fixed shelf area 50, the worker H in charge of the warehousing work arranged in the fixed shelf area 50 receives the container 14 sent to the fixed shelf area 50 by the fixed shelf area warehousing conveyor 51 branched from the storage conveyor 11. Then, it is stored (incoming) into the fixed shelf 52. When the container 14 stored in the fixed shelf area 50 is delivered, the worker H in charge of the delivery operation arranged in the fixed shelf area 50 takes out the predetermined container 14 from the fixed shelf 52 and fixes the fixed shelf. It is placed on a collection conveyor 89 that runs in the area 50.
The fixed shelf area 50 is provided with a fixed shelf area management device 53 that manages the location of the container 14 stored in the fixed shelf area 50. As shown in FIG. 3, the fixed shelf area management device 53 is connected to a fixed shelf area wireless device 54 (not shown in FIG. 1), and the fixed shelf area 50 is connected via the fixed shelf area wireless device 54. Wireless communication is performed with the handy terminal 28 carried by the worker H placed in the station. When the container 14 is received, the unique identification number of the container 14 to be received and the position information in the fixed shelf 52 received by the worker H who is in charge of the storage work via the handy terminal 28 and the fixed shelf area wireless device 54. Thus, the fixed shelf area management device 53 stores which container 14 is stored at which position of which fixed shelf 52 by sending it to the fixed shelf area management device 53. The fixed shelf area management device 53 displays on the handy terminal 28 via the fixed shelf area wireless device 54 which position on which fixed shelf 52 the target container 14 is stored, so that the worker H in charge of the delivery operation To notify.
In the present embodiment, in the fixed shelf area 50, a high-frequency product that is not as high as the highest-frequency product but is frequently requested by the sorting destination (for example, a current season product such as autumn clothing in autumn). Is stored.

The automatic loading / unloading area 13 is in response to a command (shipping command to be described later) instructing the shipping of the container 14 toward the sorting area 85 for picking and collecting articles according to orders from a store (an example of a sorting destination). In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1, a plurality of articles that store a plurality of containers 14 that store a plurality of the same kind of articles. Between a pair of storage shelves 83 having a storage unit 79, an input / output conveyor 13a that automatically inputs and outputs articles between the storage conveyors 11, and an input / output conveyor 13a and a storage shelf 83. A stacker crane 82 for transferring the containers 14, moving between the storage shelves 83 and the sorting area 85, and transferring the containers 14 between them; 11, a scanner 84 (bar code reader) that reads the barcode of the label 14 b (FIG. 2) attached to the container 14 that is transported by an automatic loading / unloading area controller 81 that controls the operation of the stacker crane 82 and the loading / unloading conveyor 13 a. And have. The barcode of the label 14b (FIG. 2) is a barcode corresponding to a unique identification number (container code, ID) of each container 14.
In the present embodiment, the automatic entry / exit area 13 has a medium frequency product (for example, the season has passed) that is requested by the sorting destination at a medium frequency that is higher than the low frequency product and lower than the high frequency product. Long tail products that have been selling for a long time.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the sorting area 85 includes a flow rack 87 for storing the containers 14 supplied by the stacker crane 82, a collection conveyor 89 for transporting the collection containers 88 assigned to each sorting destination, A sorting area management device 86 for managing the work in the sorting area 85, and picking and collecting articles from the container 14 supplied to the flow rack 87 between the flow rack 87 and the collection conveyor 89. A worker H who performs a collection work to be put into the product container 88 is arranged. Although not shown here, a packing area for packing goods for each store is provided downstream of the sorting area 85 in the flow direction of the collection conveyor 89.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, the first inventory management device 30 in the first loading platform area 12, the fixed shelf area management device 53 in the fixed shelf area 50, and the automatic entry / exit area controller in the automatic entry / exit area 13. 81, the second inventory management device 33 in the second loading platform area 15, and the storage conveyor 11 are connected to an arrangement management device 91 that controls these operations. The arrangement management device 91 issues commands to the first stock management device 30, the second stock management device 33, the fixed shelf area management device 53, and the automatic loading / unloading area controller 81 to perform various operations, and the storage conveyor 11 is controlled so that the container 14 is transported in a required direction, and the attribute of the article is determined as will be described later. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, the arrangement management device 91 and the sorting area management device 86 of the sorting area 85 are connected to the host system 90. The host system 90 manages the orders received by a person who operates the sorting equipment, for example, a merchandise distribution center, from a sorting destination (individual user, store, business partner, etc.) and the purchase of goods according to the order, and the entire sorting equipment. It is a system that manages the operation of.
The above is the rough configuration of the sorting equipment in this embodiment.

[Placement management apparatus 91]
Next, the arrangement management apparatus 91 will be described in more detail.
The arrangement management device 91 is configured by a computer, for example, and stores container data shown in FIG. 4A in advance. This container data is data indicating articles stored in each container 14, and is data in which a container code unique to each container 14 is associated with an article code (an example of information specifying an article).
Further, as shown in FIG. 3, the arrangement management device 91 includes various functional units such as an exit command function unit 91a, an item attribute determination function unit 91b, an item movement command function unit 91c, and a storage conveyor control function unit 91d. These various functional units are implemented in hardware or software, and are described below: <Exit command function for sorting area 85>, <Article attribute determination function>, <Article movement command function>, < It has various functions such as storage conveyor 11 control function>.

<Exit command to sorting area>: This is a function of the issue command function unit 91a to the sort area, and is a sorting destination for the first stock management device 30, the second stock management device 33, and the automatic stocking / exiting area controller 81. A function of issuing an instruction to leave the container 14 storing the article specified by the article code ordered from the item to the sorting area 85. This function is executed based on an instruction from the host system 90. When the host system 90 receives an order for an article from a sorting destination, the placement management apparatus 91 assigns the article code of the received article. The placement management device 91 transmits a delivery command including the article code to the first stock management device 30, the second stock management device 33, and the automatic stocking / exiting area controller 81.
<Article attribute determination function>: This is a function of the article attribute determination function unit 91b, and includes a time schedule (a plan determined in advance with respect to function execution time, such as every predetermined period) or an instruction from the host system 90 (an example of an external command). The function of judging the attribute of the article to be sorted in the sorting equipment according to the order environment (details of the judging procedure will be described later). With this function, the highest-frequency product, the high-frequency product, the medium-frequency product, the low-frequency product, etc. described above are determined as the attribute of the article according to the frequency requested from the sorting destination. Here, the order environment refers to various conditions related to orders from users. In particular, the conditions of goods from users such as the season, the frequency of sales, statistics of the number of items ordered by users for each article, changes in counterparty users, etc. This is a condition where the request frequency is expected to change greatly. In addition, for each item, characteristics according to the order environment (for example, characteristics such as seasonal items) are set in advance, and statistics on the number of items ordered by the user for each item, timing of sales, ordering, etc. Order data and statistical data such as users with a large number of users are appropriately input from the host system 90 to the arrangement management device 91 and stored.
<Article movement command function>: This is a function of the article movement command function unit 91c, and the attribute changes in each of the first cargo bed area 12, the fixed shelf area 50, the automatic loading / unloading area 13, and the second cargo bed area 15. A function of outputting a command to move an article whose attribute has been changed to an area corresponding to the changed attribute if the article has been stored (details will be described later).
<Storage conveyor 11 control function>: This is a function that the storage conveyor control function unit 91d has, and when executing the above-described article movement command function, the storage conveyor 11 is configured so that the container 14 is transported to the target area. The function to operate. For example, when moving the container 14 from the second loading platform area 15 to the automatic loading / unloading area 13, the storage conveyor 11 is operated in the direction in which the container 14 is transported from the second loading platform area 15 toward the automatic loading / unloading area 13. When the second loading platform area 15 is moved from the automatic loading / unloading area 13, the storage conveyor 11 is operated in the direction in which the container 14 is conveyed from the automatic loading / unloading area 13 toward the second loading platform area 15.

<< Article attribute judgment and movement command (when medium frequency product and low frequency product are exchanged) >>
Next, in the operation method of the article sorting facility according to the present embodiment, a procedure for determining the attribute of the article and outputting a command to move the article (change the storage position) will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.
In addition, the change of the storage position according to the change of the attribute of the article is performed between each area of the first loading platform area 12, the fixed shelf area 50, the automatic loading / unloading area 13, and the second loading platform area 15, but here as an example The case where the storage position between the automatic loading / unloading area 13 and the second loading platform area 15 is changed, that is, the medium frequency product and the low frequency product are exchanged is shown.
When the article attribute determination function unit 91b of the arrangement management device 91 confirms the start of determination of the attribute of the article according to the time schedule or an instruction from the host system 90 (step S1), the article attribute determination function unit 91b executes the article attribute determination function. The attribute is judged and stored according to the order environment (step S2).
As a specific example of this attribute determination, when the time (time, time) is approaching summer, an article specific to summer is determined to be a high-frequency item, and an item specific to spring or winter is determined to be a low-frequency item. Also, if the time is within the distribution period of the flyer with the featured product, the featured product is determined to be the highest frequency product. Alternatively, using the statistics of the number of items ordered for each item, the attribute of the item is determined according to the order frequency (for example, the number ordered per day). For example, an article whose order frequency is within a predetermined range for a medium frequency product is determined as a medium frequency product, and an article within a predetermined range for a low frequency product is determined as a low frequency product. This determination may be automatically performed by the article attribute determination function unit 91b of the arrangement management device 91, or the administrator of the sorting facility makes a determination in advance before starting the sorting work, By inputting data into the arrangement management device 91, attributes may be determined and stored for each article based on the data.
Subsequently, the arrangement management device 91 creates a list composed of article codes of articles whose attributes have been changed by the above determination. Here, a list composed of article codes of articles whose attributes have been changed from medium frequency goods to low frequency goods (hereinafter referred to as low frequency goods list), and articles of goods whose attributes have been changed from low frequency goods to medium frequency goods. A list composed of codes (hereinafter referred to as a medium frequency transfer article list) is created (step S3).
Then, after the attribute determination by the article attribute determination function is completed, the article movement command function is performed at a predetermined timing instructed by the host system 90, such as at the start of a day of work or when the collection work in the sorting area 85 is completed. The unit 91c executes the article movement command function. The “article movement command function” is a collective term for a plurality of functions having different contents depending on the attribute of the article to be moved and the target area. A function that outputs a command to move an article that has become a low-frequency product to the second cargo bed area 15 when an article whose attributes are changed from a frequency product to a low-frequency product is stored. "When an article whose attribute has been changed from a low-frequency product to a medium-frequency product is stored in the second loading platform area 15, a command is issued to move the product that has become a medium-frequency product to the automatic entry / exit area 13 This function is referred to as “medium frequency product movement command function”.
Here, at a predetermined timing instructed by the host system 90, the article movement command function unit 91c first executes the medium frequency article movement command function. That is, the automatic loading / unloading area controller 81 performs a loading operation for loading the article code indicated in the medium frequency transfer article list and the container 14 storing the article having the article code into the automatic loading / unloading area 13. Medium frequency goods receipt command which is command information to be output. Further, the second stock management device 33 unloads (unloads) the item code of the item shown in the medium frequency transfer item list and the container 14 storing the item having the item code from the second loading platform area 15. The medium frequency product delivery command, which is command information for performing the medium frequency product delivery operation, is output (transmitted) (step S4).
Subsequently, the article movement command function unit 91c executes a low-frequency product movement command function. In other words, the automatic loading / unloading area controller 81 is configured to unload (unload) the article code shown in the low-frequency transfer article list and the container 14 storing the article having the article code from the automatic loading / unloading area 13. A low-frequency product delivery command, which is command information for performing the frequency product delivery operation, is output. In addition, the second inventory management device 33 receives the article code of the article shown in the low-frequency transfer article list and the container 14 storing the article having the article code into the second loading platform area 15. Output (transmit) a low-frequency product warehousing command, which is command information for performing (step S5).
The placement management device 91 transports the container 14 from the second loading platform area 15 toward the automatic loading / unloading area 13 in step S4 in which the medium frequency goods movement command function is executed by the storage conveyor 11 control function described above. In step S5 in which the storage conveyor 11 is operated and the low-frequency goods movement command function is executed, the container 14 is transported from the automatic loading / unloading area 13 toward the second loading platform area 15. The storage conveyor 11 is operated.
The above is the procedure for determining the attribute of the article and outputting a command to move the article.

The arrangement management device 91 stores (enters) the container 14 transported from the arrival area in each of the first loading platform area 12, the fixed shelf area 50, the automatic loading / unloading area 13, and the second loading platform area 15. The storage conveyor 11 is operated so that the containers 14 are transported from the receiving area toward the shipping area, and each of the first loading platform area 12, the fixed shelf area 50, the automatic loading / unloading area 13, and the second loading platform area 15 is operated. A command is issued to store a predetermined container 14 for the area.
When the container 14 transported from the arrival area may be transported to the shipping area as it is, the storage conveyor 11 is operated so that the container 14 is transported from the arrival area to the shipping area, and the first loading platform No command is issued to each of the area 12, the fixed shelf area 50, the automatic loading / unloading area 13, and the second loading platform area 15.

The details of the arrangement management apparatus 91 have been described above.
Next, the automatic loading / unloading area 13 and the second loading platform area 15 that operate according to commands from the arrangement management device 91 will be described in more detail.

[Automatic entry / exit area 13]
As shown in FIG. 3, the automatic loading / unloading area controller 81 of the automatic loading / unloading area 13 is connected to an arrangement management device 91, a loading / unloading conveyor 13 a, a scanner 84, and a stacker crane 82.
The automatic entry / exit area controller 81 stores the same container data (FIG. 4 (a)) as that stored in the arrangement management device 91, and further stores as the storage data shown in FIG. 4 (b). Data in which position information (address) of each article storage unit 79 of the shelf 83 is associated with barcode information (container code) of the container 14 stored in the article storage unit 79 is stored.
Hereinafter, various operations such as “entry work”, “exit work”, and “low-frequency item delivery work” performed in the automatic entry / exit area 13 will be described. Note that these operations are automatically performed by the automatic loading / unloading area controller 81.

"Goods receipt work"
The automatic loading / unloading area controller 81 has been transported by the storage conveyor 11 when receiving a medium frequency goods storage command from the arrangement management device 91 or when receiving a command to store the container 14 on the storage conveyor 11. The barcode of the label 14b attached to the container 14 is read by the scanner 84, and the container code of the container 14 is acquired, and then the loading / unloading conveyor 13a is moved in the direction from the storage conveyor 11 to the storage shelf 83. Then, the container 14 is transported to the storage shelf 83 side. Then, the container 14 transported to the storage shelf 83 side is stored (entered) in the article storage unit 79 vacant in the storage shelf 83 by the stacker crane 82. At this time, the storage data is updated by associating the position information (address) of the article storage unit 79 storing the container 14 with the container code of the container 14.

"Goods issue work"
When the automatic entry / exit area controller 81 receives a delivery instruction to the sorting area 85 from the arrangement management device 91, the automatic entry / exit area controller 81 searches the container data for the article code included in the delivery instruction, and the article having the commanded article code is stored. A container 14 is specified. Then, the storage data is searched for the container code of the identified container 14, the address of the article storage unit 79 storing the container 14 having the container code is obtained, and the position of the article storage unit 79 indicated by the obtained address is obtained. The stacker crane 82 is moved, the container 14 stored in the article storage unit 79 is taken out by the stacker crane 82, transferred to the flow rack 87 in the sorting area 85, and the information about the taken out container 14 is deleted from the storage data. (The address of the taken-out article storage unit 79 is made empty).

"Infrequent goods issue work"
When the automatic entry / exit area controller 81 receives a low-frequency item delivery instruction from the arrangement management device 91, the container in which the low-frequency item is stored by searching the container data for the article code transmitted together with the low-frequency product delivery instruction is stored. The container storage code 79 is obtained, and the storage data is searched for the obtained container code to identify the article storage unit 79 in which the container 14 is stored. Then, the container 14 is taken out from the specified article storage unit 79 by the stacker crane 82 and placed on the loading / unloading conveyor 13a. Then, the loading / unloading conveyor 13a is moved in the direction from the storage shelf 83 toward the storage conveyor 11, and the container 14 in which the low-frequency items are stored is moved to the storage conveyor 11. Further, the information about the container 14 taken out from the article storage unit 79 is deleted from the storage data.
In addition, while the low-frequency goods issue command is output from the arrangement management device 91 (while the low-frequency goods movement command function is being executed), the above-described storage conveyor 11 control function allows the automatic storage / exit area 13 to Since the arrangement management device 91 operates the storage conveyor 11 so that the container 14 is transported toward the second cargo bed area 15, the container 14 moved to the storage conveyor 11 by the low-frequency item delivery operation is the second It is transported toward the loading platform area 15.

[Second cargo area 15]
As shown in FIG. 2, in the second loading platform area 15, the cart 21 is configured to be able to move by loading a plurality of (for example, twelve) containers 14. An electronic shelf label 26 (an example of an identification unit) in which a unique identification number (ID; an example of unique information for specifying a loading platform) is set in advance is attached. As is well known, the electronic shelf label 26 has a liquid crystal display screen 26a on the surface thereof, and a label 26b printed with a bar code corresponding to the unique identification number is attached to the electronic shelf label 26. (Not shown), and has a function of displaying data received by the receiving device on the liquid crystal display screen 26a.
Each container 14 is attached with a label 14b printed with a barcode corresponding to a preset unique identification number (container code, ID; an example of unique information for specifying an article). The articles stored in the container 14 are managed.
The worker H arranged in the second cargo bed area 15 carries a handy terminal 28 (an example of a reading unit). The handy terminal 28 has a liquid crystal display screen 28a on its surface, keys 28b made up of a numeric keypad and function keys, a scanner 28c for reading a bar code, a wireless data transmission / reception device, and a transmission / reception device. Is displayed on the liquid crystal display screen 28a, and the bar code data read by the scanner 28c and the operation data of the keys 28b are transmitted.
Although not shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a first wireless device 31 (see FIG. 1) that transmits and receives data to and from the handy terminal 28 on the ceiling of the second cargo bed area 15 (or the wall of the building constituting the area). 3) and a second wireless device 32 (FIG. 3) for transmitting data to the electronic shelf label 26 is arranged. As shown in FIG. 3, the second inventory management device 33 is connected to the first wireless device 31 and the second wireless device 32. The second inventory management device 33 is configured by a computer and manages the location of the container 14 stored in the second loading platform area 15. From the arrangement management device 91 connected to the second inventory management device 33. Operates according to the command.
As shown in FIG. 4C, the second inventory management device 33 manages the area address in which the carriage 21 is stored and the unique identification number (cart code, ID; barcode) of the carriage 21 as a pair. Further, the container 14 (container code, ID: bar code) is managed by the bogie code of the bogie 21 and stored as inventory data. The second inventory management device 33 also stores the container data.
In addition, in the above, although the 2nd loading platform area 15 used as the object movement object area when replacement | exchange of a medium frequency goods and a low frequency goods is demonstrated, also in the 1st loading platform area 12, (it keeps) The management of the storage position of the articles (although the attribute of the target article is different from that of the second cargo bed area 15) is similar, and the first inventory area 12 also has the first inventory as shown in FIG. Various devices such as the first wireless device 31 are connected to the management device 30, and these various devices have the same functions as the various devices in the second loading platform area 15 (the same reference numerals and Although the terminology is used, the various devices in the first cargo bed area 12 and the various devices in the second cargo bed area 15 are different).
Hereinafter, various operations such as “warehousing work”, “shipping work”, and “medium frequency product unloading work” performed in the second loading platform area 15 according to a command from the arrangement management device 91 will be described.

“Receiving work” (see Figure 6)
The second inventory management device 33 starts the following warehousing operation when receiving a low-frequency goods storage command from the placement management device 91 or when receiving a command to store the container 14 on the storage conveyor 11. .
During the warehousing operation, the second inventory management device 33 transmits the warehousing instruction including the display data of “warehousing” and the barcode of the container 14 to be warehousing to the handy terminal 28, and warehousing is performed on the liquid crystal display screen 28 a of the handy terminal 28. Display the command.
In response to this warehousing instruction, the worker H first attaches an (unused) electronic shelf label 26 to the empty cart 21, then moves the empty cart 21 to the vicinity of the storage conveyor 11, and uses the container from the storage conveyor 11. 14 is loaded onto the carriage 21. Note that the liquid crystal display screen 26a of the electronic shelf label 26 is not displayed at all in the initial state (unused).
When the loading is finished, the worker H reads the barcode on the label 26b of the electronic shelf label 26 with the handy terminal 28, and then reads the barcode on the label 14b of each container 14, and the first radio device 31 is used to read the barcode. 2 Transmit to the inventory management device 33.
Then, the second inventory management device 33 forms and stores inventory data (part) by pairing the received barcode of each container 14 with the barcode of the carriage 21, and subsequently stores it in the electronic shelf label 26. On the other hand, display data indicating “receiving” (displayed in red) and display data including the number of boxes of the container 14 loaded on the carriage 21 are transmitted and displayed on the liquid crystal display screen 26a.
When the operator H confirms the liquid crystal display screen 26 a, the operator H pushes the carriage 21 and stores it in an empty space (location) of an arbitrary block 24, and first the electronic shelf label 26 of the carriage 21 stored by the handy terminal 28. , And then the bar code of the electronic shelf label 26 of the cart 21 adjacent to the stored location is read and transmitted to the second inventory management device 33 via the first wireless device 31.
The second inventory management device 33 searches the inventory data using the barcodes of the adjacent electronic shelf labels 26 to obtain the managed area address (location), and sets the carriage 21 to the area address between these obtained area addresses. Is stored, and the intermediate area address is set in the carriage 21. And the display data of “storage-no work”, the set area address, the empty volume ratio (%) indicating the number of containers 14 that can be loaded on the carriage 21, and the articles managed by the barcode of the container 14 Display data comprising the number of empty containers 14 that are not stored is transmitted and displayed on the liquid crystal display screen 26a. At the same time, the barcode of the cart 21 (electronic shelf label 26) and the barcode of each container 14 are stored in the new area address, and the inventory data is updated.
Thus, the area address (position information) of the carriage 21 to be newly stored is the area address (position) of the carriage 21 that is already arranged adjacent to the storage position (storage position) of the carriage 21 to be newly stored at the time of warehousing work. Information) and is newly stored as inventory data.
In the case where there is no carriage 21 in the block 24 and the carriage 21 is first placed, the first area address is set by inputting a specific area address through the handy terminal 28. Alternatively, the first area address may be set by placing a label or a sign with a bar code corresponding to the area address in one place in the block 24 and reading it with the handy terminal 28.
Moreover, you may make it read the barcode of the electronic shelf label 26 of the cart 21 of either one instead of the cart 21 of both sides. That is, when the carriage 21 is stored in a vacant space, after reading the barcode of the electronic shelf label 26 of the stored carriage 21, either the left or right of the adjacent carriages 21 (here) The instruction to read the barcode of the electronic shelf label 26 is displayed, and the worker H reads the barcode of the left carriage 21 at the handy terminal 28 according to this instruction, and the second inventory management device 33 The inventory data is searched for the barcode of the electronic shelf label 26 of the cart 21 to obtain the area address (location) of the left cart 21, and the cart 21 is stored at the area address corresponding to the right side of the obtained area address. It may be determined that the area address corresponding to the right side of the stored carriage 21 is set.

"Outgoing work (moving work of container 14 to sorting area 85)" (see FIG. 7) and "Medium-frequency goods stocking work (moving work of container 14 to automatic stocking area 13)"
When the second inventory management device 33 receives the delivery command or the medium frequency product delivery command from the arrangement management device 91, the second stock management device 33 starts the following delivery operation or medium frequency product delivery operation. The issue work and the medium frequency goods issue work have many common parts, so they will be explained together.
In the delivery operation, the second inventory management device 33 first obtains the container 14 (bar code) that stores the article having the article code included in the delivery instruction.
Further, in the middle frequency item delivery operation, the container 14 (bar code) that stores the article having the article code of the medium frequency item transmitted together with the intermediate frequency item delivery instruction is obtained.
Subsequently, the inventory data is searched using the obtained barcode of the container 14, and the barcode (the unique identification number of the electronic shelf label 26) of the carriage 21 on which the container 14 is loaded is obtained.
Subsequently, an area address in which the carriage 21 is stored is obtained from the obtained barcode of the carriage 21, and the area of the carriage 21 (electronic shelf label 26) that performs the delivery work or the medium frequency goods delivery work to the handy terminal 28 is obtained. The command including the address, the barcode of the container 14 to be shipped, and the display data of “shipping operation” or “medium frequency item shipping operation” is transmitted and displayed on the liquid crystal display screen 28a. The display data of “departing instruction (displayed in red)” and display data including the number of containers 14 to be delivered and the number of containers 14 currently loaded are transmitted to the shelf label 26 and displayed on the liquid crystal display screen 26a. Let
When all the containers 14 instructed to be shipped are loaded on one carriage 21, an instruction to leave or move the carriage 21 together with the address of the carriage 21 (electronic shelf label 26) is sent to the handy terminal 28. The data is transmitted and displayed on the handy terminal 28, and the display data of “move instruction (red display)” is transmitted to the electronic shelf label 26 and displayed on the liquid crystal display screen 26a.
The worker H moves to the address displayed on the handy terminal 28, confirms that “the delivery instruction is in progress (displayed in red)” displayed on the electronic shelf label 26, pulls out the carriage 21, and is displayed on the handy terminal 28. The barcode container 14 is transferred to a delivery cart (not shown), and the barcode of the transferred container 14 is read by the handy terminal 28 and transmitted to the second inventory management device 33. Subsequently, the carriage 21 is stored in the original area address, the barcode of the electronic shelf label 26 is read by the handy terminal 28, and transmitted to the second inventory management device 33.
When the second inventory management device 33 confirms the delivery based on the received barcode of the container 14, deletes it from the inventory data, and subsequently receives the barcode of the electronic shelf label 26, the display data of “storage-no work” is displayed. Display data including area address, empty volume ratio (%) indicating the number of containers 14 that can be further loaded on the carriage 21, and the number of empty containers with no articles managed by the barcode of the container 14. It is transmitted and displayed on the liquid crystal display screen 26a.
When the worker H displays “shipping work” on the handy terminal 28, the worker H moves the trolley for delivery to the sorting area 85 and ends the delivery.
Further, when “handy goods delivery work” is displayed on the handy terminal 28, the delivery cart is moved to the vicinity of the storage conveyor 11, and the container 14 placed on the carriage 21 is moved to the storage conveyor 11. To finish the delivery.
Here, in the medium frequency goods delivery operation, when the containers 14 storing the medium frequency goods are only some of the containers 14 loaded on the carriage 21, The handy terminal 28 displays information (container code, etc.) that identifies the container 14 that stores the medium-frequency goods, and only the container 14 that stores the medium-frequency goods is transferred to the delivery cart. Carry out delivery work.
Further, when the container 14 is transferred to the storage conveyor 11 in the medium-frequency item shipping operation, the container 84 is transferred in such a direction that the scanner 84 in the automatic loading / unloading area 13 can read the label 14b of the container 14. desirable.
In the case of a command to leave or move the entire cart 21, the worker H pulls out the cart 21, removes the electronic shelf label 26 from the cart 21, reads the barcode on the electronic shelf label 26 from the handy terminal 28, and transmits it. Then, the carriage 21 is pushed as it is to move to the storage conveyor 11 or the sorting area 85. The second inventory management device 33 confirms the movement based on the received barcode of the electronic shelf label 26, deletes it from the inventory management data, and transmits unused display data to the electronic shelf label 26. The liquid crystal display screen 26a of the electronic shelf label 26 is in a state where nothing is displayed in pure white.
In this way, the area address of the carriage 21 on which the container 14 of the goods for which delivery is issued is mounted is displayed on the handy terminal 28, so that the carriage 21 on which the container 14 instructed to be delivered is easily found. , Goods issue work is executed quickly.
In addition, while the medium frequency goods issue command is output from the arrangement management device 91 (while the medium frequency goods movement command function is being executed), the storage conveyor 11 control function described above causes the second cargo bed area 15 to Since the arrangement management device 91 operates the storage conveyor 11 so that the container 14 is transported toward the automatic loading / unloading area 13, the container 14 moved to the storage conveyor 11 by the medium-frequency item loading / unloading operation is automatically loaded / unloaded. It is transported toward the exit area 13.
The upper entry warehouse work and medium frequency goods delivery work in the second loading platform area 15, the warehouse work and low frequency goods delivery work in the automatic warehouse area 13, and the arrangement management device 91 control the transport direction of the storage conveyor 11. Thus, the container 14 is replaced between the second loading platform area 15 and the automatic loading / unloading area 13.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, when the required frequency of an article changes due to a change in season or the like, the placement management apparatus 91 orders the attribute of the article (how often the article is). Since the instruction is output to change the storage location (the second loading platform area 15 or the automatic loading / unloading area 13) for the article whose attribute is changed based on the judgment based on the environment, the operator selects which article for each article at the work site. It is not necessary to determine whether the articles are of a certain frequency, and for the articles whose attributes have changed, each article can be quickly rearranged in an appropriate area based on a command from the arrangement management device 91. Work efficiency is increased.

  Further, according to the present embodiment, the arrangement management apparatus 91 is based on order data or statistical data indicating the order environment, that is, the season, the frequency of sales, the statistics of the number of items ordered from the sorting destination for each article, and the like. Since the attributes of each item are judged, the frequency of the item for each item at the work site by the worker every time the season changes, the item to be sold changes, or the item with many orders changes. It is no longer necessary to determine if this is the case.

  In addition, according to the present embodiment, the low-frequency goods are stored in the second cargo bed area 15 in which the goods (container 14 storing the goods) can be carried in and out using the movable carriage 21, and the product type It is possible to easily change the storage layout of low-frequency products that tend to have a large number of products and are likely to change their varieties.

  Moreover, according to this Embodiment, since the storage conveyor 11 automatically conveys the container 14 which accommodated the goods between the automatic loading / unloading area 13 and the 2nd loading platform area 15, the operator H is the 1st. It is only necessary to replace the container 14 storing articles between the storage conveyor 11 and each carriage 21 in the two loading platform area 15, and there is no need to reciprocate between the second loading platform area 15 and the automatic loading / unloading area 13. .

  Further, according to the present embodiment, the worker H is made to recognize the position where the medium frequency product is arranged in the second loading platform area 15 in units of the carriage 21, so that the worker H is in the second loading platform area 15. Therefore, it is not necessary to check each item as to where the medium frequency item is, and work efficiency is increased.

  In addition, according to the present embodiment, when an article stored in the second cargo bed area 15 is requested by the user, the sorting area 85 directly from the second cargo bed area 15 by the work of leaving the second cargo bed area 15. Since the goods (container 14 storing the goods) can be transported to the second loading platform area 15, the low-frequency goods that may be requested from the sorting destination in spite of the low frequency can be stored. In the sorting area 85 and the automatic loading / unloading area 13, there is no need to prepare a frontage for storing low-frequency products. As a result, the overall size of the sorting equipment can be kept small, the equipment cost can be reduced, the storage shelf 83 can be made small, and the stacker crane 82 can pick up the desired article when shipping from the automatic loading / unloading area 13 to the sorting area 85. The search time is short, and the time from receiving the order to shipping to the user can be shortened.

  In the present embodiment, the case where the medium frequency product and the low frequency product are exchanged between the automatic loading / unloading area 13 and the second loading platform area 15 is described. The storage position can be changed between any areas of the first loading platform area 12, the fixed shelf area 50, the automatic loading / unloading area 13, and the second loading platform area 15. For example, as a result of executing the article attribute determination function, if there is an article whose attribute has changed from a high frequency product to a medium frequency product, a list of articles changed to a medium frequency product and an article changed to a medium frequency product are stored in the fixed shelf area 50. Is output to the fixed shelf area management device 53 by the arrangement management device 91, and a command to store the article changed to the medium frequency item and the item changed to the medium frequency item into the automatic entry / exit area 13, What is necessary is just to output to the automatic loading / unloading area controller 81 by the arrangement management device 91. In this case, the fixed shelf area management device 53 that has received the command has the inside of the fixed shelf 52 in which the articles (containers 14 storing the articles) to be delivered are stored in the handy terminal 28 of the worker H in the fixed shelf area 50. The position information and the information indicating that it is a delivery operation are displayed, and the worker H takes out the container 14 at the displayed position and automatically loads it through the storage conveyor 11 or on the delivery cart. In the automatic loading / unloading area 13, the transferred container 14 is loaded into the storage shelf 83 using the loading / unloading conveyor 13 a and the stacker crane 82 (or the operator H directly stores the storage shelf 83. It is good to do so.

  In this embodiment, only one type of attribute is rearranged in one operation, such as medium frequency item issue operation and low frequency item issue operation, but multiple types of attributes are arranged at a time. You may change. For example, in the second cargo bed area 15, after the change in the container 14 storing each of the article whose attribute has changed from the low frequency product to the highest frequency product, the article changed to the high frequency product, and the article changed to the medium frequency product. Each attribute (frequency) is reloaded with a different cart, and the cart is moved to the area (the first cargo bed area 12, the fixed shelf area 50, the automatic loading / unloading area 13) that stores articles of the corresponding attribute. May be. At this time, the article code of the article whose attribute has changed is classified and transmitted for each attribute after the change from the arrangement management apparatus 91 to the second inventory management apparatus 33, and the second inventory management apparatus 33 sends the container to be delivered. It is preferable to display on the handy terminal 28 the changed attribute or the destination area of the article stored in 14.

In the present embodiment, only one storage conveyor 11 is provided as a storage transport line, and the transport direction of the storage conveyor 11 is switched according to the situation by the arrangement management device 91. Two conveyors may be provided: a conveyor whose direction is from the automatic loading / unloading area 13 toward the second loading platform area 15 and a conveyor whose conveyance direction is from the second loading platform area 15 toward the automatic loading / unloading area 13. . In this case, since the movement of the low frequency product from the automatic loading / unloading area 13 to the second loading platform area 15 and the movement of the medium frequency product from the second loading platform area 15 to the automatic loading / unloading area 13 can be performed simultaneously, Work efficiency is increased. In this case, the medium frequency product movement command function and the low frequency product movement command function may be executed simultaneously.
In this embodiment, the low-frequency product movement command function is executed after the medium-frequency product movement command function is executed, but this order may be reversed.

  In the present embodiment, a plurality of articles of the same type are stored in the container 14, and the entry and exit operations are performed on the container 14. However, even if only one article is stored in the container 14. Good. Further, without using the container 14, the goods may be handled directly, and the goods may be moved in and out.

  Further, in the present embodiment, when a low-frequency item stored in the second cargo bed area 15 is requested by the sorting destination, the container 14 storing articles (from the second cargo bed area 15 directly to the sorting area 85 is stored. ) May be carried to the sorting area 85 via the automatic loading / unloading area 13. Alternatively, the collection conveyor 89 may be run in the second loading platform area 15 and the container 14 may be placed directly on the collection conveyor 89 without using the sorting area 85. In this case, since it is not necessary for the worker H to go to the sorting area 85, work efficiency is increased. In addition, also about the 1st loading platform area 12 in which the highest frequency goods are stored, when the collection conveyor 89 is run in the 1st loading platform area 12 and the highest frequency goods are requested | required from the sorting destination, the 1st loading platform area The container 14 may be placed directly on the collection conveyor 89 in the container 12 to perform a shipping operation for transferring the container 14 to the shipping area. Since the products with the highest frequency will be shipped frequently, it is necessary to complete the shipping operation only in the first loading platform area 12 in this way, and the worker H needs to go to another area each time the product is shipped. If there is not, there will be a further increase in work efficiency.

  Further, in the present embodiment, among the articles stored in the second loading platform area 15, the article having the attribute changed from the low-frequency product to the medium-frequency product (container 14 storing the product) is placed on the storage conveyor 11. However, the worker H may move the container 14 to be moved to the automatic loading / unloading area 13 by placing the container 14 to be moved on the cart for loading / unloading.

In the present embodiment, the container 14 is automatically transported (supplied) from the automatic loading / unloading area 13 to the sorting area 85 by the stacker crane 82, but is directed from the automatic loading / unloading area 13 to the sorting area 85. A conveyor moving in the direction may be provided, and the stacker crane 82 may place the container 14 on the conveyor to supply the container 14 to the sorting area 85, or an operator may be provided near the storage shelf 83. The container 14 is placed on the conveyor heading to the sorting area 85 as described above, or the container 14 is manually transported to the sorting area 85 to supply the container 14 to the sorting area 85. You may make it perform.
In the present embodiment, only one sorting area 85 is provided and only one stacker crane 82 is used correspondingly. However, a plurality of sorting areas 85 are provided and a number of stacker cranes 82 are provided correspondingly. You may do it.

  In the present embodiment, the first cargo bed area 12, the fixed shelf area 50, the automatic loading / unloading area 13, and the second cargo bed area 15 are arranged side by side along the storage conveyor 11 for easy illustration. However, the sorting equipment may be configured in a multi-tiered manner, and each area may be provided in a separate hierarchy. For example, the receiving area / shipping area is on the first floor, the first loading platform area 12 is on the second floor, the fixed shelf area 50 is on the third floor, the automatic loading / unloading area 13 is on the fourth floor, and the second loading platform area 15 is on the fifth floor. The storage conveyor 11 and the collection conveyor 89 may be arranged in a three-dimensional manner so as to connect each area of each layer.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 11 Storage conveyor 13 Automatic loading / unloading area 14 Container 15 2nd loading platform area 26 Electronic shelf label 85 Sorting area 91 Arrangement management apparatus

Claims (3)

An operation method of an article sorting facility that has a plurality of storage areas in which a plurality of articles are stored and that is attributed according to the frequency requested by the sorting destination is stored in the storage area corresponding to the attribute. There,
The attribute of the article is determined based on the order environment of the article by a time schedule or an external command,
As a result of the determination, outputs an instruction to store the article whose attribute has changed from the current storage area and store it in the storage area corresponding to the attribute ,
As the storage area, a loading platform area where goods can be carried in and out using a movable loading platform, and an automatic loading and unloading area where goods can be automatically loaded and unloaded into the area,
Articles having attributes of low-frequency items that are less frequently requested by the sorting destination are stored in the cargo bed area, and articles having attributes of medium-frequency items that are requested by the sorting destination are higher than the low-frequency items are automatically Store in the storage area
As a result of the determination of the attribute of the article, a command is output for transferring the article whose attribute has changed from the medium frequency product to the low frequency product from the automatic loading / unloading area to the loading platform area and storing it in the loading platform area. Outputs an instruction to carry the article changed from the frequency product to the medium frequency product from the cargo bed area to the automatic loading / unloading area and store it in the automatic loading / unloading area,
A storage transport line for automatically transporting articles between the automatic loading / unloading area and the cargo bed area is provided,
An article whose attribute has been changed from a medium frequency product to a low frequency product by a command to carry out an article changed from a medium frequency product to a low frequency product from the automatic loading / unloading area to the cargo bed area and store it in the cargo bed area, The storage transfer line is automatically discharged from the automatic loading / unloading area, and the storage transfer line is operated so that the article on the storage transfer line is transferred from the automatic loading / unloading area to the loading platform area,
In response to a command to carry out an article that has changed from a low-frequency product to a medium-frequency product from the cargo bed area to the automatic loading / unloading area and store it in the automatic loading / unloading area, the attribute of the low-frequency goods is low frequency for the workers in the loading platform area. The position of the loading platform on which the article changed from the medium frequency product to the medium frequency product is displayed, and based on this display, the item whose attribute has been changed from the low frequency product to the medium frequency product is placed on the storage transport line. And operating the storage transport line so that the goods are transported from the loading platform area to the automatic loading / unloading area . 2. The attribute of the article is determined using at least one of a season, a frequency of sales, and statistics of the number of items ordered from a sorting destination for each article as the order environment of the article. Operation method of the article sorting equipment described in 1. An article sorting facility that has a plurality of storage areas in which a plurality of articles are stored, and that is attributed according to the frequency requested by the sorting destination, is stored in a storage area according to the attribute,
An arrangement management device for managing attributes of the article according to a required frequency;
The arrangement management device judges the attribute of the article based on the order environment of the article by a time schedule or an external command, and issues the article whose attribute has changed as a result of the judgment from the current storage area. A command to store in the storage area according to the attribute is output .
As the storage area, an article having an attribute of a low-frequency product that is less frequently requested by a sorting destination is stored on a movable carrier, and a cargo bed area in which the low-frequency product can be carried in and out by the carrier, and assortment An automatic loading / unloading area capable of storing an article having an attribute of medium-frequency goods higher in frequency than that of the low-frequency goods and capable of automatically entering and leaving the goods in the area. And
A storage transport line for automatically transporting articles between the automatic loading / unloading area and the loading platform area is provided,
The arrangement management device outputs an instruction to carry out an article whose attribute has changed from a medium frequency product to a low frequency product as a result of the judgment of the attribute of the article from the automatic loading / unloading area to the loading platform area and store it in the loading platform area. In addition, it is designed to output a command for transferring an article whose attribute has changed from a low frequency product to a medium frequency product from the cargo bed area to the automatic storage / removal area and storing it in the automatic storage / removal area,
The storage transport line is configured such that the attribute is changed from a medium-frequency product to a low-frequency product according to a command to carry out an article changed from a medium-frequency product to a low-frequency product from the automatic loading / unloading area to the cargo bed area and store it in the cargo bed area. The article that has been changed to the automatic transfer area is automatically discharged from the automatic loading / unloading area to the storage transfer line, and the article on the storage transfer line is moved from the automatic loading / unloading area to the loading platform area. , The attribute is infrequent for the operator in the loading platform area by a command to carry the article changed from the low frequency product to the medium frequency product from the loading platform area to the automatic loading / unloading area and store it in the automatic loading / unloading area. Displays the position of the loading platform on which articles that have changed from goods to medium-frequency goods are placed, and based on this display, the attribute changes from low-frequency goods to medium-frequency goods And the article is placed on the storage conveyor line, an article sorting installation according to claim <br/> that is operated so that articles are conveyed from the loading platform area into the automatic entry and leaving areas.

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