JP2002114326A - Lane control method and device for automated storage and retrieval system - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To stably shorten the cycle time of a stacker crane by grouping received packages into respective types and ranks and by transferring them to the crane at the same time. SOLUTION: The information of a received package with the receiving lane for and allotting destination already decided and in a non-transferred state to the stacker crane is searched, and when a received package of the same type or the same rank as a new received package without a decided receiving lane is detected, an allotting destination of the new received package is decided so as to combine those received packages with each other in the same lane.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a stacker crane capable of simultaneously transporting a plurality of loads, a plurality of conveyor devices for sorting and transporting the loaded goods to a plurality of storage lanes, and a transfer control unit for controlling these conveyors. The present invention relates to a method and an apparatus for managing lanes in an automatic warehouse provided.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in a distribution system of this type, storage and storage have been promoted in accordance with diversification of products and frequent delivery to stores.
An efficient warehouse is used to store and sort packaged products in case units, which requires sorting efficiency.

[0003] The automatic warehouse is connected by a conveyor to a picking place for storing shipping goods in a case from a pallet storage warehouse for storing goods in pallet units, and is packed and disassembled (package) sent to the picking place in case units. Save,
Multi-stage storage shelves arranged in a plurality of rows, stacker cranes provided between each row of the storage shelves, and an incoming aisle conveyor and an outgoing aisle for transferring cargo between the cranes. A conveyor, an incoming conveyor connected to the picking station, a shipping conveyor for transporting the goods sent from the shelves to the shipping station, and interposed and installed between the incoming / outgoing conveyor and the incoming / outgoing aisle conveyor. And a loading / unloading conveyor for transferring luggage between them. Luggage is loaded on the receiving conveyor at the picking place, transferred from the receiving conveyor to the incoming / outgoing conveyor,
Further, it is transferred to a storage aisle conveyor and transported to an entrance of a shelf passage for storage. The luggage transported by the incoming aisle conveyor is transported to a stacker crane and stored on a predetermined shelf of the storage shelf by the stacker crane. In addition, the outgoing luggage is transported from the corresponding shelf to the location of the exit aisle conveyor by the stacker crane, then transferred to the exit aisle conveyor, transferred from the exit aisle conveyor to the shipping conveyor via the entry / exit conveyor, and then to the shipping site. Sent.

[0004] In a general distribution center, a warehousing operation and a warehousing operation are performed in separate operation steps. For this reason, when the warehousing work and the warehousing work frequently occur, the ratio of the warehousing time and the warehousing time to the cycle time increases, and the work efficiency decreases.

[0005] In recent years, a stacker crane capable of transporting a plurality of loads at the same time has been developed, and various proposals have been made regarding its operation. For example, Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. Hei 7-97011 discloses that, when the incoming luggage arrives at the loading / unloading position of the stacker crane in a short time, waits for the arrival of the luggage, and after the luggage is collected, the stacker crane returns to the stacker crane. It describes that a plurality of incoming luggage can be transported by a stacker crane as simultaneously as possible by transferring and carrying out a storage operation, thereby shortening the cycle time of the stacker crane.

[0006]

However, in the above-mentioned Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 7-97011, what kind of package is carried at the same time depends on the timing at which the package arrives. No consideration is given to the type of luggage that arrives consecutively in the same lane.

For this reason, for example, the positions of shelves to be stored are limited depending on the type of luggage, and the shelves stored at different positions are different from each other and the shelves to be stored are far apart from each other. In this case, the time required for the stacker crane to move between shelves is increased even if the transfer work to the stacker crane is shortened by simultaneous transfer, and the work time of the stacker crane is not shortened as a whole. There were difficulties.

A technical object of the present invention is to make it possible to stably shorten the cycle time of a stacker crane by grouping incoming luggage by type or rank and simultaneously transferring them to cranes. is there.

[0009]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a lane management method for an automatic warehouse, comprising: a plurality of storage lanes connected to a storage conveyor; a plurality of storage lanes provided for each storage lane; In an automatic warehouse equipped with at least a stacker crane that can transport the luggage to the storage shelf at a time,
In the method of deciding which receiving lane to distribute the incoming luggage from the above-mentioned receiving conveyor, the receiving lane to which the incoming luggage is to be allocated is already determined, but the information of the incoming luggage which is not transferred to the stacker crane is searched. Steps, and if the incoming luggage of the same type or rank as the new incoming luggage for which the incoming lane has not been determined is detected by the search step, the new incoming luggage is combined so that these incoming luggage are combined in the same lane. And an allocation step of determining a destination of the distribution.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a lane management system for an automatic warehouse, wherein a plurality of storage lanes connected to a storage conveyor and a plurality of luggage on the storage lane are provided at one time for each storage lane. In a lane management device of an automatic warehouse having at least a stacker crane that can be transported to a shelf, although it is already determined to which storage lane to distribute from a storage conveyor, the storage baggage of a storage baggage that has not been transferred to the stacker crane. Search means for searching for information;
If the search unit detects incoming luggage of the same type or rank as a new incoming luggage that has not yet been determined to enter a storage lane, the destination of the new incoming luggage is set so that these incoming luggage are combined in the same lane. Allocating means for determining

Further, the lane management device for an automatic warehouse according to claim 3, wherein the sensor means for reading the information of the new incoming luggage whose order on the receiving conveyor is determined, and the information read by the sensor means, And storage means for storing the information in a searchable manner by means.

Further, in the automatic warehouse lane management device according to a fourth aspect, when a plurality of incoming luggage of the same type or the same rank are assigned to be combined in the same incoming lane by the allocating means, the plurality of incoming warehouses are assigned. A control means is provided for controlling the stacker crane so that the load is transferred to the stacker crane at a time.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a lane management apparatus for an automatic warehouse, wherein a new incoming luggage is combined with a same incoming luggage by the allocating means, and the storage rack is divided into a plurality of areas. In this case, the control means controls the stacker crane so that a plurality of packages transferred to the stacker crane are stored in the same area of the storage shelf.

[0014] The means to be solved include the following inventions. (1) A lane management method used in an automatic warehouse equipped with a stacker crane capable of simultaneously transporting a plurality of packages for each storage lane, wherein when the storage lane of the load is determined, the lane is first put in and has already been loaded. Are determined, but not yet arrived at the storage delivery position of the stacker crane, and search for and select a combination in which the undetermined luggage and the undetermined luggage have the same type or the same rank. Lane assignment so that luggage of the group is assigned to the same lane.

(2) An automatic warehouse equipped with a stacker crane capable of transporting a plurality of packages at the same time, a plurality of conveyor devices for sorting and transporting the packages to a plurality of storage lanes, and a transport control unit for controlling these conveyors. In the lane management device used, in the transfer control unit, when determining the storage lane of the baggage, when the luggage is first loaded and the storage lane has already been determined, but has arrived at the storage delivery position of the stacker crane and has been completed. Search and select a combination in which the unloading incoming luggage and the undetermined luggage have the same type or the same rank, select them, group them, and assign them to the same lane so that the luggage in the group is assigned to the same lane. A lane management device for an automatic warehouse, comprising:

(3) The lane allocating unit is configured to read the information of the incoming luggage at least at a position upstream of the incoming lane located at the most upstream side, based on the information from the load information reading unit, and to identify the identification number of the luggage. A load information determination / storage means for determining the type and rank of the package and sequentially storing them, and a recording section of an identification number including the type and rank information of the package for one lane, arranged in a plurality of columns and a plurality of rows in a matrix The lane data storage unit provided with the number of lanes provided for each lane, and the new load information is stored in the load information determination / storage unit every time new load information is stored. The lane information is read from the lane data storage means and the lane information, and the lane data in the lane data storage section is a lane having a free space in a part of the last row where the lane data exists. First lane search means for searching for a combination in which the type of luggage obtained from the identification number recorded in a part of the tail row and the new type of luggage are the same type, and outputting a search result; If the corresponding lane does not exist based on the search result of the first lane search means, the new load information and the information of each lane are read, and the last row in the lane data storage section where the lane data exists is read. Search for a combination in which the rank of the package obtained from the identification number recorded in a part of the last line and the rank of the new package are the same, and A second lane search unit that outputs a search result, and based on the search result of the second lane search unit, when there is no corresponding lane, reads the information of each lane, and reads the information in each lane data storage unit. A third lane search means for searching for a lane having no free space in the last line where the data exists, or a lane in which no lane data is recorded, and outputting a search result; A storage status determination unit that compares and determines the storage status of each of the selected candidate lanes based on a search result of the lane search unit of No. 3 and selects and outputs a lane with the least unloaded luggage; and a determination by the storage status determination unit. Based on the result, it is determined whether the number of lanes with the least unselected luggage is singular or plural, and the first lane number determining means for outputting the determination result and the third lane searching means determine the number of lanes. All lane selecting means for outputting all lanes as candidates when the corresponding lane does not exist, and all lane selecting signals are output from all lane selecting means, or first lane number determining means When a signal indicating that the number of lanes determined in is plural is output, this is input, and the empty state of each shelf connected to all lanes or the selected plural lanes is compared and determined, The number of candidate lanes searched by the first lane searching means or the second lane searching means and narrowed down by the warehousing state determining means is determined by the shelf empty state determining means for selecting and outputting the lane with the largest number of empty shelves. In the case of a singular, based on the new load information recorded in the load information determination / storage means, information on the type or rank of the new package is stored at the end of the data storage section of the corresponding lane in the lane data storage means. If the number of candidate lanes searched by the first lane determining means for recording the identification number including the number of candidate lanes searched by the third lane searching means and narrowed down by the receiving state determining means is singular, Based on the new load information recorded in the storage means, when the next line at the end of the data storage section of the corresponding lane of the lane data storage means or no lane data of the corresponding lane is recorded. The second storage lane determining means for recording an identification number including information on the type and rank of the new package on the first line of the data storage section of the relevant lane; The judgment result of the first lane number judging means is inputted, and it is judged whether the number of lanes with the largest number of selected empty shelves is singular or plural, and the number of selected lanes is singular and the first
If there is a signal input notifying that the number of lanes selected from the lane number determining means is plural, the determination result is set to the first.
Output to the incoming lane determining means or the second incoming lane determining means, and when there is no signal input from the first lane number determining means, singular and plural determination results are distributed to another system and output. A second lane number determining means for performing
A single lane signal output to another system from the lane number judging means is input, and an identification number including information on the type and rank of the new package is recorded in the data storage section of the corresponding lane of the lane data storing means. A plurality of lane signals output to different systems from the incoming lane determining means of No. 3 and the second lane number determining means are inputted, and a lane located on the most upstream side is selected from the selected lanes, and lane data is stored. A fourth means for recording an identification number including information on the type and rank of the new package in the data storage section of the corresponding lane of the means.
(2) The lane management device for an automatic warehouse according to (2), comprising:

(4) When the storage is completed, the completed luggage data is erased from the luggage information determination / storage means and the lane data storage means, and the entire lane data in the lane data storage unit from which the luggage data has been deleted is moved upward. A lane management device for an automatic warehouse according to (3), further comprising data operation means for sliding the data line by line.

[0018]

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an automatic warehouse lane management method and apparatus according to the present invention. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a system configuration of an entire control unit of an automatic warehouse according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a main configuration of a control unit in the lane management device, and FIG. FIG. 4 is a plan view schematically showing the relationship between a stacker crane capable of transporting a plurality of packages simultaneously with the storage rack of the automatic warehouse and each conveyor, and FIGS. It is a flowchart which shows the allocation procedure of the lane in the lane management method.

As shown in FIG. 4, the automatic warehouse according to the present embodiment is provided with four units 10a to 10d, each of which has a plurality of storage shelves 1 having a plurality of storage sections in a continuous direction and a stepwise direction. The stacker cranes 2a to 2d capable of transporting a plurality of (two in this case) packages at the same time, the receiving conveyors 3a and 3b connected to the picking station, and the entrance of the shelf passage are selectively sent. Entry aisle conveyors 4a to 4d for transferring luggage to stacker cranes 2a to 2d,
Outgoing aisle conveyors 5a to 5d for receiving and sending packages from the stacker cranes 2a to 2d, and shipping conveyors 6a and 6 for transporting packages sent from shelves to a shipping area.
b, and a loop-type in / out conveyor that is interposed and installed between the in / out conveyors 3a, 3b, 6a, 6b and the in / out aisle conveyors 4a to 4d, 5a to 5d, and transfers cargo between them. 7 and a position immediately after the connecting portion of the loading / unloading conveyor 7 with the downstream receiving conveyor 3a,
In other words, a load information reading unit (hereinafter referred to as an item pallet) that reads information on a package W (hereinafter, referred to as an item pallet) arriving at a position (hereinafter, referred to as a point A) upstream of a storage lane (first lane) located on the most upstream side. For example, a barcode reader) 8a,
In order to check whether the pallet is the same as the item pallet whose information has been read by the barcode reader 8a, pallet check barcode readers 8b, 8c, 8c, 8c provided in correspondence with the second to third lanes are provided. 8d, and a well-known chain conveyor for sorting and transferring the item pallets to each of the incoming aisle conveyors 4a to 4d is provided in the incoming / outgoing conveyor 7 in correspondence with each of the incoming aisle conveyors 4a to 4d. Note that 11a to 11d and 12a to 12
d is a delivery position of the item pallets W installed on the receiving aisle conveyors 4a to 4d, and the stacker crane 2a
2d forks 13a to 13d, 14a to 14d
It is provided corresponding to d.

The control unit, as shown in FIG. 1, determines the entry lane of the item pallet, the information (identification number, etc.) of the item pallet W from the load information reading unit, that is, the bar code reader 8a, and the shelf management database 22. Based on the information on the empty status of the shelves from the pallet, the pallet that has been previously loaded and the storage lane has already been determined, but has not yet arrived at the storage delivery position of the stacker crane; A lane allocating unit 21a for retrieving and selecting combinations in which the determined item pallet has the same kind or rank and selecting and grouping and allocating the item pallets of the group to the same lane is built in. ,
A transport control unit 21 that controls each conveyor so that the amount of goods entering the stacker cranes 2a to 2d becomes equal, information on shelf conditions such as shipping amount from a shelf management database 22, and items mainly from a barcode reader 8a. Storage shelf allocating unit 23 for allocating storage shelves based on information on pallets W (load information, etc.)
And a shelves allocating section 24 for allocating shelves based on information on the shelves from the shelves management database 22, a transfer control section 21, a shelving shelves allocating section 23, and a shelves based on information from the shelves. And a crane control unit 25 that controls the stacker cranes 2a to 2d.

The lane allocating section 21a, which is a main part of the control section, will be described in more detail with reference to FIG.
a is a product type and a rank (for example, a hot selling product, a normal product, and a product with a small amount of shipment) associated with the identification number based on information (identification number) from the barcode reader 8a that reads information on the item pallet at the point A. And a storage unit for identification information including information on the type and rank of an item pallet for one lane in a plurality of columns and a plurality of rows. , A lane data storage unit (see FIG. 3) arranged in a matrix, and a lane data storage unit 32 provided with the number of lane data storage units for each lane. In addition, for convenience of explanation, the lane data storage unit shown in FIG. 3 is configured to record an item in addition to the identification number. However, as described above, the identification number is associated with the item and the rank. Only need to record the identification number,
Item and rank information can be obtained from the identification number.

Each time new load information is stored in the load information determination / storage means 31, the new load information and the information of each lane are read from the lane data storage means 32, and the lane information in each lane data storage section is read. An identification number recorded in a lane in which a part of the last row in which data exists is empty (refer to the first, third, and fourth lanes in FIG. 3) and in a part of the last row. The first lane search means 33 searches for a combination in which the type of the item pallet obtained from the above and the new item pallet, that is, the type of the item pallet at the point A are the same type, and outputs the search result.

Further, based on the search result of the first lane search means 33, when there is no corresponding lane, the load information of the item pallet at the point A and the information of each lane are read, and the information is read from each lane data storage section. The rank of the item pallet and the rank of the item pallet at the point A obtained from the identification number recorded in a part of the last line where the lane data is present and a part of the last line is empty And a second lane search means 34 for searching for a combination having the same rank as the search result and outputting a search result.

If the corresponding lane does not exist based on the search result of the second lane searching means 34, the information of each lane is read, and the last row in the lane data storage section where the lane data exists is read. A third lane search that searches for a lane having no empty space (see the second lane in FIG. 3) or a lane in which no lane data is recorded and that satisfies either condition and outputs a search result Based on the search results of the means 35 and the first, second, or third lane search means 33, 34, 35, the entry status of each selected candidate lane is compared and determined, and the lane with the least unloaded luggage is determined. Storage status determination means 44 for selecting and outputting
A first lane number judging means 45 for judging whether the number of lanes with the smallest number of unselected luggage is singular or plural based on the judgment result of the warehousing status judging means 44 and outputting the judgment result; Based on the search result of the third lane search means 35, if there is no corresponding lane, that is, a lane in which there is a free space in a part of the last row where lane data exists in each lane data storage unit, and All lane selecting means 36 for outputting all lanes as candidates when the item pallet recorded in a part of the tail row and the item pallet at the point A are neither the same kind nor the same rank;
When the all-lane selection signal is output from the all-lane selection means 36 or a signal indicating that the number of lanes determined by the first lane number determination means 45 is plural is output, this is input. And a shelf empty status judging means 37 for comparing and judging the empty status of all the shelves or the shelves respectively connected to the selected plural lanes, and selecting and outputting the lane having the most empty shelves.

The first lane searching means 33 or the second lane searching means 33
When the number of candidate lanes searched by the lane search means 34 and narrowed down by the warehousing status determination means 44 is singular, the load information of the item pallet at the point A recorded in the load information determination and storage means 31 A first storage lane determining unit 38 that records an identification number including information on the type or rank of the new package at the end of the data storage unit of the corresponding lane in the lane data storage unit 32; When the number of candidate lanes searched by the search means and narrowed down by the warehousing status determination means is singular, based on the load information of the item pallet at the point A recorded in the load information determination / storage means 31, If no lane data of the corresponding lane has been recorded, or if there is no lane data of the corresponding lane, the data of the corresponding lane is deleted. The second storage lane determining means 39 for recording an identification number including information on the type and rank of the item pallet at the point A in the first row of the data storage section; The judgment result of the lane number judging means 45 is inputted, and it is judged whether the number of the selected lanes with the largest number of empty shelves is singular or plural, and the number of the selected lanes is singular and the first lane number judging means 45 If there is a signal input notifying that the number of lanes selected from the plurality of lanes is plural, the determination result is output to the first incoming lane determining means 38 or the second incoming lane determining means 39, and the first lane number is output. When there is no signal input from the judging means 45, the second lane number judging means 46 sorts and outputs the single or plural judgment results to another system, Singular ray output to Inputs a signal, third Receipt lane determining means for recording an identification number that includes the appropriate varieties and rank information items palette A point in the data storage unit of the lanes of the lane data storage means 4
1 and a plurality of lane signals output to different systems from the second lane number determination means 46, and a lane located on the most upstream side is selected from the selected lanes. And a fourth storage lane determining means 42 for recording an identification number including information on the type and rank of the item pallet at the point A in the data storage section of the lane to be accessed.

Further, when the storage is completed, the data of the completed item pallet is deleted from the load information judgment / storage means 31 and the lane data storage means 32, and the entire lane data in the lane data storage unit from which the data of the package is deleted is deleted. Has data operation means 43 for sliding the data upward one line at a time.

Next, the meaning of grouping packages by product type will be described. In order to shorten the cycle time required for delivery, it is desirable that a plurality of packages of the same type be stored together on a nearby shelf such as an adjacent shelf. That is, when there are a plurality of outgoing orders, the orders of the same kind are combined into one and the outgoing work is reduced to one.
This is because, when assigned to a plurality of stacker cranes, a plurality of packages of the corresponding type, which are collectively stored on nearby shelves, can be simultaneously transferred to the stacker cranes and discharged. However, in general, if the same kind of luggage is to be collected on a nearby shelf, the cycle time required for storage tends to be long. According to the present invention, the same kind can be transported together by a crane and stored in the shelves, so that even if the goods are simultaneously transferred from the crane to the shelf, the same kind of goods can be stored collectively on a nearby shelf. As a result, both the entry cycle time and the exit cycle time can be shortened.

The "rank" means a plurality of categories in which each package is classified by attribute. In this case, the storage shelves are divided into areas for each rank, and each package is classified into the rank to which the package belongs. It is assumed that storage is to be performed on storage shelves in an area corresponding to. To be more specific, for example, the above-mentioned 3 items of the top-selling products, ordinary products,
There is an operation of creating three ranks, placing the top-selling merchandise rank area near the entrance / exit, the normal merchandise rank area at the back, and the merchandise rank area with a small amount of shipment at the back. In addition, there may be an operation in which an area is divided for each destination of a product, and an operation in which an area is divided so that a heavy object is stored below. Since shelves storing luggage of the same rank are in the same area,
The distance between the shelves is relatively short, and when these are transferred at once from the receiving aisle conveyor to the stacker crane and then transported, the time required for the stacker crane to move between the shelves is saved, and the storage cycle time is shortened. .

Next, a method of performing lane management using the lane management device of the automatic warehouse according to the present embodiment configured as described above will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 4 based on FIGS. . Here, for example, an item pallet W in which a plurality of articles of the same type packed in a cardboard box, a plastic case, or the like, which are produced in another factory and delivered by a truck, are stacked on a pallet,
It is assumed that the goods are stored in the lanes of the four automatic warehouses 10a to 10d. Also, here, the stacker cranes 2a to 2d
Can transport up to two item pallets W at the same time,
Hereinafter, the expression "same group" will not be used, but will be referred to as "pair".

The item pallet W is lowered from the truck to the receiving conveyors 3a and 3b using a forklift. The unloaded item pallet W is received by the receiving conveyor 3.
The storage lanes are moved from a and 3b to the loading and unloading conveyor 7, and the storage lane is allocated at the point A.

First, when an item pallet W arrives at point A (step 1), information on the pallet W that has arrived, that is, information on the type and rank is obtained from the identification number sent from the bar code reader 8a. (Step 2) Next, looking at the lane data (Step 3), in each lane data storage unit, there is a free lane in a part of the last row where the lane data exists and a part of the last row in the lane data. A combination in which the type of the item pallet obtained from the recorded identification number and the type of the item pallet at the point A are the same type is searched (step 4), and it is determined whether or not the corresponding lane exists (step 4). 5) If it exists, it is selected as a storage lane (step 6). In FIG. 3, the first, third, and fourth lanes correspond to the conditions of step 4, and each of the rectangles depicted in FIG.
One corresponds to a package that has not yet arrived at the storage delivery port of the stacker crane after the storage lane has been determined. The numbers described in the rectangles are the identification numbers of the packages, and W1 to W8 are the types. The luggage with the lower line number is the luggage that has been put into the equipment first, and if there are two luggage data on the same line in the same lane area, the luggage will be the same type or the same rank pair. ing. Here, for convenience of explanation, only pairs of the same type are shown.

Next, the entrance status of each candidate lane selected in step 6 is compared and determined, and the lane with the least unloaded luggage is selected (step 7). Next, it is determined whether the number of lanes selected and narrowed down in steps 4 and 7 is singular or plural (step 8), and if it is singular, this is regarded as a storage lane and corresponds to the lane data storage means. An identification number including information on the type and rank of the item pallet at point A is recorded at the end of the lane data storage (step 9).

If it is determined in step 5 that the corresponding lane does not exist, the lane in which the lane data exists in each lane data storage section has a free space in a part of the last row, and A combination in which the rank of the package obtained from the identification number recorded in a part of the row and the rank of the item pallet at the point A have the same rank is searched (step 10), and it is determined whether or not the corresponding lane exists. It is determined (step 11), and if it exists, it is selected as a storage lane (step 12). Next, the parking status of each candidate lane selected in step 12 is compared and determined, and the lane with the least unloaded luggage is selected (step 1).
3). Next, it is determined whether the number of lanes selected and narrowed down in the steps 10 and 13 is singular or plural (step 14). If the number of lanes is singular, this is regarded as a storage lane and corresponds to the lane data storage means. An identification number including information on the type and rank of the item pallet at point A is recorded at the end of the lane data storage (step 15).

If it is determined in step 11 that the corresponding lane does not exist, there is no empty space in the last row where lane data exists in each lane data storage unit, that is, whether the last row is a pair or not. Alternatively, if no lane data is recorded or a lane that satisfies one of the conditions is searched (step 16), it is determined whether or not the corresponding lane exists (step 17). Is selected as a storage lane (Step 1)
8). Next, the entrance status of each candidate lane selected in step 18 is compared and determined, and the lane with the least unloaded luggage is selected (step 19). Next, it is determined whether the number of lanes selected and narrowed down in steps 16 and 19 is singular or plural (step 2).
0), if it is a singular, this is regarded as a storage lane, and if no lane data of the relevant lane is recorded, or if no lane data of the relevant lane is recorded, An identification number including information on the type and rank of the item pallet at the point A is recorded on the first line of the relevant lane (step 21). In FIG. 3, the second lane corresponds to the condition of step S16.

If it is determined in step 8, step 14, or step 20 that there are a plurality of lanes in which the candidates have been narrowed down, the availability of each shelf connected to each of the selected lanes is checked. (Step 22), the lane with the most empty shelves is selected (Step 23). Then
It is determined whether the number of lanes selected and further narrowed down in step 23 is singular or plural (step 2).
4) If it is a singular, this is set as a storage lane and the corresponding lane of the lane data storage means, ie, each step 8,
The point A is located at the end of the data storage unit of the lane corresponding to the case where it is determined to be singular at 14 or 20, or the next line after the last, or the first line of the lane in which no lane data is recorded. An identification number including information on the type and rank of the item pallet is recorded (step 25).

If it is determined in step 23 that the number of lanes is plural even though the candidates are further narrowed down in step 23, the position of the lane located at the most upstream position in each of the selected lanes is determined. And the corresponding lane of the lane data storage means, ie, each step 8,
The point A is located at the end of the data storage unit of the lane corresponding to the case where it is determined to be singular at 14 or 20, or the next line after the last, or the first line of the lane in which no lane data is recorded. An identification number including information on the type and rank of the item pallet is recorded (step 26).

Next, when it is determined in step 17 that the corresponding lane does not exist, that is, a lane having a free space in a part of the last row where lane data exists in each lane data storage unit, and If it is determined that the item pallet recorded in a part of the last line and the item pallet at the point A do not have the same type or the same rank, all lanes are selected as candidates (step 2).
7). Next, the empty state of each shelf connected to all the lanes is checked (step 28), and the lane with the largest empty shelf is selected (step 29). Next, it is determined whether the number of lanes selected and further narrowed down in step 29 is singular or plural (step 30). An identification number including information on the type and rank of the item pallet at point A is recorded at the end of the data storage unit (step 31).

If it is determined in step 30 that there are a plurality of lanes even though the candidates are further narrowed down in step 29, the position of the lane located at the most upstream position in each of the selected lanes is determined. A lane to be selected is selected, and an identification number including information on the type and rank of the item pallet at the point A is recorded at the end of the data storage section of the corresponding lane in the lane data storage means (step 32).

Then, the lane allocated in this way is instructed to the driver of the entrance / exit conveyor (step 3).
3). As a result, the work of sorting the item pallets detected at the point A to the receiving aisle conveyor is started, and when the item pallet detected at the point A reaches the position of the corresponding receiving aisle conveyor, the well-known chain conveyor is driven. Then, it is distributed and transferred to the receiving aisle conveyor.

Of the identification number data including the type and rank information of the item pallets recorded in each data storage section of the lane data storage means and the load information judgment / storage means, the data of the item pallets whose storage is completed are: The entire lane data in the lane data storage unit, which has been sequentially deleted by the data operation means and whose data has been deleted, slides upward one line at a time.

Although an automatic warehouse equipped with a stacker crane capable of transporting two item pallets at the same time has been described above by way of example, the present invention is not limited to this. It goes without saying that the present invention is also applicable to an automatic warehouse capable of transporting three or more item pallets at the same time.

Also, here, the description has been given of an example in which the goods are stacked on a pallet. However, it is needless to say that the present invention can be applied to a case automatic warehouse in which cardboard boxes or plastic cases are stored. .

Further, in the case of the same type, but different manufacturing dates and manufacturing lots, it may be determined and processed as different types or different ranks.

[0044]

As described above, according to the present invention, the storage lane to which the goods are to be sorted has already been determined. When an incoming luggage with the same type or rank as an undetermined new luggage is detected, the destination of the new luggage is determined so that these luggage are combined on the same lane. Therefore, the cycle time of the stacker crane can be stably shortened, and the storage and retrieval efficiency of the automatic warehouse can be improved.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a system configuration of an entire control unit of an automatic warehouse according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a main part of a control unit in the lane management device of the automatic warehouse according to the embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a configuration diagram of a lane data storage unit of the lane data storage means.

FIG. 4 is a plan view schematically showing a relationship between a stacker crane capable of transporting a plurality of packages simultaneously with a storage shelf of the automatic warehouse according to the embodiment and each conveyor.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing a lane assignment procedure in the automatic warehouse lane management method according to the embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing a lane assignment procedure in the automatic warehouse lane management method according to the embodiment.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing a lane assignment procedure in the automatic warehouse lane management method according to the embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

W1 to W8 Item pallets (baggage) 2a to 2d Stacker crane 3a, 3b Receiving conveyor (conveyor device) 4a to 4d Receiving aisle conveyor (conveyor device) 5a to 5d Outgoing aisle conveyor (conveyor device) 6a, 6b Shipping conveyor (conveyor device) 7) In / out conveyor (conveyor device) 8a-8d Barcode reader (load information reading unit) 10a-10d Automatic warehouse 11a-11d Position for transferring item pallets to crane (back) 12a-12d Transfer item pallets to crane Position (front) 13a to 13d Cargo luggage holding unit (back) 14a to 14d Crane luggage holding unit (front) 21 Transport control unit 21a Lane assignment unit 22 Shelf management database 23 Storage shelf assignment unit 24 Delivery shelf assignment unit 25 Crane control unit 31 Load information judgment and storage Step 32 Lane data storage means 33 First lane search means 34 Second lane search means 35 Third lane search means 36 All lane selection means 37 Shelf status determination means 38 First entry lane determination means 39 Second Storage lane determination means 41 Third storage lane determination means 42 Fourth storage lane determination means 43 Data operation means 44 Storage status determination means 45 First lane number determination means 46 Second lane number determination means

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page (72) Inventor Yoshiaki Nishina 1-2-1, Marunouchi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo Inside Nihon Kokan Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Yoichi Yoshinaga 1-2-1, Marunouchi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo Inside Nippon Kokan Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Hiroshi Ishikawa 1-2-1, Marunouchi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo Japan Inside (72) Inventor Noriaki Masada 1-2-1, Marunouchi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo Japan Inside of Kokan Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Yoshiyuki Suzuki 1-2-1, Marunouchi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo F-term of Nihon Kokan Co., Ltd. (Reference) 3F022 EE02 FF02 JJ07 LL31 MM05 MM08 MM13 MM21 PP04

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. An automatic warehouse comprising at least a plurality of storage lanes connected to a storage conveyor, and a stacker crane provided for each storage lane and capable of transporting a plurality of packages on the storage lane to a storage shelf at a time. In the method for deciding which storage lane to distribute the received luggage from the storage conveyor, the distribution lane to which the storage is to be allocated is already determined, but the information of the storage luggage that has not been transferred to the stacker crane. A search step of searching for a new storage baggage that has not yet been determined for the storage lane, and if a storage baggage of the same type or the same rank as that of the new storage baggage that has not been determined is detected by the search step, the storage baggage is combined with the same storage lane An allocation step of determining a destination of the new incoming luggage, a lane management method for an automatic warehouse. 2. An automatic warehouse having at least a plurality of storage lanes connected to a storage conveyor, and a stacker crane provided for each storage lane and capable of transporting a plurality of packages on the storage lane to a storage shelf at a time. In the lane management device, although it is already determined to which storage lane to sort from the storage conveyor, search means for searching for information on stored luggage that has not been transferred to the stacker crane; If the search unit detects the incoming luggage of the same type or the same rank as the new incoming luggage, the destination of the new incoming luggage is determined so that these incoming luggage are combined in the same lane. And a lane management device for an automatic warehouse. 3. A sensor for reading information on the new incoming luggage whose order on the receiving conveyor has been determined, and a storage for storing information read by the sensor so as to be searchable by the searching means. The lane management device for an automatic warehouse according to claim 2, further comprising: 4. When a plurality of incoming luggage of the same type or the same rank are assigned to be combined in the same incoming lane by the allocating means, the plurality of incoming luggage is transferred to a stacker crane at a time. The lane management device for an automatic warehouse according to claim 2 or 3, further comprising control means for controlling the stacker crane. 5. The stacker crane according to claim 1, wherein said allocating means combines said new incoming luggage with incoming luggage of the same rank, and said storage rack is divided into a plurality of areas. The lane management device for an automatic warehouse according to claim 4, wherein the stacker crane is controlled so that a plurality of packages transferred to the storage rack are stored in the same area of the storage shelf.