JP2010189116A - Cargo aligning device and cargo aligning system having the cargo aligning device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To collectively divide and deliver articles with every kind by a delivery line, while efficiently delivering the articles to the delivery line, by quickly starting delivery of the articles to the delivery line. <P>SOLUTION: This cargo aligning device has a branch-merging line 11 merged and carried into the delivery line 10 by branching and carrying the article 2 carried by a warehousing line 4, the final article carrying state discriminating means for discriminating whether or not to be the final article carrying state on a plurality of respective kinds of the article 2 based on the delivery article number and the carrying article number managed by an article number managing means, a carrying state switching means for switching to any of a warehousing carrying state and a branch carrying state based on a selection condition when discriminated as the final article carrying state by switching to the warehousing carrying state up to being discriminated as the final article carrying state, and a delivery command means for performing a delivery command to a delivery means 9 by setting the same kind as the final article reaching a branch place 24 as a kind of article to be delivered from a storage means 8 when the final article reaches the branch place 24. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention is a storage means for receiving a plurality of types of articles that are sequentially conveyed in a row on a warehousing line, and identifying and storing the type of the article in any of a plurality of storage units. And when the type of article to be delivered from the storage means is instructed by the delivery instruction, all the articles of the same type as the type instructed by the exit instruction are selected from the articles stored in the storage means, The present invention relates to an assortment device provided with unloading means for unloading from a storage unit to a unloading line.

  The above assortment apparatus, for example, provided in a distribution center or the like, outputs a plurality of types of articles that are sequentially conveyed in a line state on a warehousing line, grouped together by type on the warehousing line. Is. Here, the type of article is, for example, the shipment destination of the article, and the shipment place etc. by classifying the articles of a plurality of shipment destinations that are transported in any order regardless of the shipment destination. Therefore, it is possible to smoothly carry out operations such as loading and packing for each shipping destination.

For example, a warehouse that stores all items ordered from the shipping destination or a warehouse such as a flat shelf is provided, and shipments are made from the items stored in the warehouse based on orders from the shipping destination. An article to be selected is selected, and the selected article is sequentially conveyed to the warehousing line in a line regardless of the shipping destination, so that the assortment is performed by the assortment apparatus.
In the conventional assortment apparatus, the warehousing line sequentially conveys the articles of a plurality of shipping destinations, and the storage means sequentially accepts the articles conveyed by the warehousing line, and any one of the plurality of storage units in the storage means In addition, it manages and stores where the goods are shipped to. The delivery means manages the number of delivered articles indicating the number of articles delivered to the delivery line and the number of stored articles indicating the number of articles stored in the storage means for each of a plurality of shipping destinations. Based on the number of articles and the number of stored articles, if it is determined that all of the articles delivered to the delivery line for a certain shipping destination have been stored in the storage means, it is determined that the shipping destination should be delivered, All items of the same shipping destination are selected and delivered together from the storage means to the delivery line. (For example, refer to Patent Document 1).
In the assortment apparatus described in Patent Document 1, the storage means sequentially receives the articles conveyed in random order regardless of the shipping destination on the warehousing line, and stores them in any of the plurality of storage units. Therefore, it is not necessary to perform processing for grouping the articles conveyed from the department to the warehousing line for each shipping destination, and the configuration can be simplified accordingly.

JP 63-160906 A

  In the assortment apparatus described in Patent Document 1, when all of the articles to be delivered for a certain type are stored in the storage means, it is determined that it is time to deliver the type of article, and the goods are delivered to the delivery line. Has started. For this reason, for each of a plurality of types of articles, until all the articles are once stored in the storage means, the delivery of the articles to the delivery line cannot be started, and it takes time until the articles can be delivered to the delivery line. It was. Moreover, in the assortment apparatus described in the above-mentioned Patent Document 1, it is necessary to perform the process of temporarily storing the goods in the storage means and then issuing the goods to the delivery line for all the goods for each of a plurality of types of goods, As the storage number of the storage means, it was necessary to secure a storage number sufficient to store all articles for each of a plurality of types of articles. Accordingly, a high-capacity assortment device has been demanded.

  The present invention has been made paying attention to such a point, and its purpose is to promptly start the delivery of articles to the delivery line and efficiently carry out the delivery of articles to the delivery line. The object of the present invention is to provide an assortment device that can be sorted out for each type and delivered, and an assortment system equipped with the assortment device.

In order to achieve this object, the first characteristic configuration of the assortment apparatus according to the present invention receives a plurality of types of articles sequentially conveyed in a line on a warehousing line, and stores them in any of a plurality of storage units. The storage means for identifying and storing the type of the article, and when the kind of article to be delivered from the storage means is instructed by the delivery instruction, the article stored in the storage means In the assortment apparatus provided with unloading means for selecting all of the same type of articles as ordered by the unloading instruction and unloading from the storage means to the unloading line,
Articles to be delivered to the delivery line for each of a plurality of types of the branch and merging line for branching and transporting the article conveyed on the warehousing line to bypass the storage means and to be joined to the delivery line The article number management means for managing the number of articles delivered and the number of articles conveyed toward the branching point of the branch / merging line in the warehousing line, and the article number management means Based on the number of delivered articles and the number of conveyed articles, the final article, which is the last article to be delivered to the delivery line, is transported toward the branch location for each of the plurality of types of articles. The final article conveyance state determination means for determining whether or not the conveyance state is present, and the branching item until the final article conveyance state determination means determines that the final article conveyance state is present. When the article conveyed to the storage line is switched to a warehousing state where the article is conveyed to the storage means on the warehousing line, and the final article conveyance state determination means determines that the final article conveyance state is present, A conveyance state switching means for switching to a side selected based on a selection condition among a branch conveyance state in which the article conveyed toward the branch point is branched and conveyed in the branch merge line, and each of the plurality of types of the articles When the final article arrives at the branch location, the delivery instruction means for issuing the delivery instruction to the delivery means as the type of the article to be delivered from the storage means with the same type as the final article reaching the branch location; Is in the point that is provided.

  According to this feature configuration, the number of articles management means manages the number of articles delivered and the number of transported articles for each of a plurality of types of articles, so that the number of articles delivered to the delivery line differs for each type. In addition, it is possible to accurately grasp the number of delivered articles and the number of conveyed articles for each type. When the article is conveyed toward the branch point of the warehousing line, the final article conveyance state determination means compares the number of articles delivered and the number of conveyed articles in the type of the article, thereby conveying the article conveyed toward the branch point. Is the final article, and it is possible to accurately determine whether or not the final article is being conveyed. Here, the final article is a final article that is conveyed toward a branching position among articles to be delivered to the delivery line in each of a plurality of types, and there is one for each type.

  If it is determined that the final article conveyance state determination means is not in the final article conveyance state, the conveyance state switching means switches to the warehousing state, so that the article conveyed toward the branch point is conveyed to the storage means. Stored in storage means. Therefore, when it is determined that the final article conveyance state determination means is not in the final article conveyance state, the number of conveyed articles managed by the article number management means is counted up and sequentially stored in the storage means. Goods are stored.

When the final article transport state determining means determines that the final article transport state is present, the transport state switching means selects and selects either the warehousing transport state or the branch transport state based on the selection condition. Switch to the selected side. As the selection condition, for example, the first time required for the final article to be branched and conveyed on the branch / merge line and then merged and conveyed to the delivery line, and the same type of article as the final article from the storage means to the delivery line are required. Based on the two hours, the condition for selecting the warehousing state is selected when the first time is shorter than the second time, and the branching state is selected when the first time is longer than the second time. It can be a selection condition. Further, for example, if the final article conveyance state determination means determines that the final article conveyance state is present, a condition for selecting the always branched conveyance state can be set as the selection condition.
As described above, when the final article conveyance state is reached, the conveyance state switching means can switch not only to the warehousing state but also to the branch conveyance state. Then, when the transport state switching means switches to the branch transport state, the final article transported toward the branch location can be branched and transported to the branch / merging line and discharged to the exit line without being transported to the storage means. .

  When the final article has arrived at the branch location, the outgoing command means issues the outgoing instruction to the outgoing means as the type of the article that should be delivered from the storage means, and the same type of article as the final article. The delivery from the storage means to the delivery line is started. Thereby, the final article conveyed to the storage means can be delivered to the delivery line together with the same type of articles stored in the storage means earlier than that. In addition, the final article branched and conveyed to the branching / merging line will be merged with the same type of articles delivered from the storage means to the outgoing line, and the same type of articles may be collected together and delivered at the outgoing line. it can.

  From the above, the final state article can be delivered to the exit line without being stored in the storage means by the transport state switching means being switched to the branched transport state, but can be grouped together for each type. Moreover, it is possible to manage the timing at which the plurality of types of articles should be delivered from the storage means to the delivery line by simply determining whether or not the plurality of types are in the final article transport state. Therefore, it has become possible to realize an assortment device that can easily manage the timing at which goods should be delivered for each of a plurality of types of articles while efficiently delivering goods to the delivery line. In addition, the final article to be branched and conveyed to the branching / merging line is not required to be stored in the storage means after being stored in the storage means, and is not required to be stored in the storage means. Capability can be reduced.

  According to a second characteristic configuration of the assortment apparatus according to the present invention, the selection condition includes a first time required for the final article to be branched and conveyed from the branch point to the branch / merging line and then merged and conveyed to the unloading line. It is determined based on the second time required for the same type of article as the final article to be delivered from the storage means to the delivery line.

For example, the second time may be longer and the second time may be longer than the first time because the article is being transported to the storage means or there are many articles stored in the storage means. is there. In this case, when the branch conveyance state is switched, the final article is conveyed to the junction point to the delivery line before the same type of article as the final article is delivered from the storage means. Therefore, in order to collect the same type of goods together in the delivery line, it is necessary to wait for the final goods until the same kind of goods as the final goods are delivered from the storage means. May not be performed efficiently.
Therefore, according to the present feature configuration, for example, when the second time is longer than the first time, the warehousing state is selected, and when the second time is equal to or shorter than the first time, the branch conveyance state is selected. Using the conditions as selection conditions, the selection conditions can be determined based on the first time and the second time. Thereby, when the second time is longer than the first time, it is possible to switch to the warehousing and transporting state, so that the final article can also be transported to the storage means and delivered together with the other articles to the delivery line. . Therefore, it is possible to efficiently perform assortment by selecting either the warehousing state or the branching state according to the selection condition determined based on the first time and the second time.

  The 3rd characteristic structure of the assortment apparatus which concerns on this invention is the confluence | merging which classify | categorizes the goods discharged from the said storage means, and the goods conveyed by the said branch merge line according to a kind, and is conveyed by the said discharge line. The conveyance means is provided.

  The articles stored in the storage means are collected together for each type and delivered. On the other hand, since the articles to be branched and conveyed in the branch / merging line are only the final articles, they are sorted by type and conveyed toward the delivery line. As a result, the merging / conveying means simply combines and conveys the article delivered from the same type of storage means and the article in the branch / merging line, and sorts the article delivered from the storage means and the article in the branch / merging line. It is possible to separate and converge and convey at the delivery line. Therefore, it is possible to unload the same type of articles together on the unloading line while making the confluence conveying means simple. In addition, for example, even for articles delivered from the storage means, as well as for articles in the branch / merging line, the same kind can be obtained by joining and transporting the goods to the delivery line while storing the articles. It is possible to reliably carry out the goods on the delivery line in a lump.

  According to a fourth characteristic configuration of the assortment apparatus according to the present invention, the storage means includes an article storage shelf including the plurality of storage units, a receiving unit that receives articles conveyed on the warehousing line, and the plurality of storages. And an article conveying device capable of conveying the article between each of the sections, wherein the article conveying apparatus is configured to deliver the article between each of the plurality of storage units and an unloading unit that unloads to the unloading line. It is comprised so that conveyance is possible, and the said unloading means exists in the point which unloads the articles | goods of the same kind as the kind instruct | indicated by the said unloading instruction | command to the said unloading line in the said article conveyance apparatus.

  According to this characteristic configuration, when an article is received from the warehousing line to the receiving unit, the article transporting device transports the article from the receiving unit to any of the plurality of storage units. It can be stored in the storage unit sequentially. When the article is stored in the storage unit, the storage means can manage storage information such as which type of the article is stored and in which storage unit. Moreover, the unloading means selects all the articles of the same type as the type instructed by the unloading instruction based on the storage information, and transports the selected articles from the storage unit to the unloading unit by the article transporting device. Can be issued to the line. As a result, the article conveying device can be used as both a storage unit and a shipping unit, and the configuration can be simplified accordingly.

  According to a fifth characteristic configuration of the assortment apparatus according to the present invention, the storage means includes a plurality of storage lines as the plurality of storage units, and the plurality of storage lines for each type of articles conveyed by the warehousing line. Each of the plurality of storage lines is configured to be able to transport all of the stored articles to the delivery line, and the delivery means is commanded by the delivery instruction. It exists in the point which leaves the goods of the same kind as a kind to the said delivery line in the said storage line.

  According to this characteristic configuration, the sorting means sorts the articles conveyed on the warehousing line into a plurality of storage lines for each type, so that the articles of the same type are the same in the same storage line. Can be stored. And the unloading means can convey all of the articles stored from the storage line storing the same type of articles as instructed by the unloading instruction to the unloading line and unload it to the unloading line. Thereby, a storage line can be used as both a storage means and a shipping means, and the configuration can be simplified accordingly. In addition, when goods are delivered to the delivery line, it is only necessary to transport all of the goods stored from a single storage line, which does not require complicated control, etc. Contributes to simplification.

  A sixth characteristic configuration of the assortment apparatus according to the present invention resides in that the number-of-items management unit manages the number of stored items indicating the number of items stored in the storage unit as the number of conveyed items. .

  According to this characteristic configuration, the article number management means manages the number of stored articles as the number of conveyed articles, so that the final article conveyance state determining means compares the number of outgoing articles with the number of stored articles, It can be determined whether or not the product is in the article transport state. Thereby, it is possible to determine the final article conveyance state while considering whether or not an article other than the final article is actually stored in the storage unit.

  For example, when an article other than the final article has not yet been stored in the storage means due to a transfer in the warehousing line or the like when the final article is transported toward the branch point, the article other than the final article is first stored. Since it is temporarily stored in the means and then discharged from the storage means to the output line, it takes time to be output to the output line. Therefore, if the final article is branched and conveyed at the branch / merging line and then merged and conveyed to the delivery line, a considerable time difference occurs in the timing at which the final article and other articles are delivered to the delivery line. It may be difficult to group articles together. Therefore, as described above, the article number management means manages the number of stored articles as the number of conveyed articles, so that when the final article is conveyed toward the branch point, articles other than the final article are still stored in the storage means. When not stored, since the number of stored articles as the number of conveyed articles is not counted up, the number of conveyed articles does not become one smaller than the number of delivered articles. Therefore, the final article conveyance state determination unit determines that the final article conveyance state is not set, and the conveyance state switching unit can be switched to the warehousing conveyance state. As a result, when the final article is transported to the branching location and the article other than the final article is not yet stored in the storage means, the final article is once stored in the storage means in the same manner as the other articles. The goods can be delivered together on the delivery line, and it is possible to reliably sort the articles together for each type on the delivery line.

  A seventh characteristic configuration of the assortment apparatus according to the present invention includes: the storage means, the delivery means, the article number management means, the final article conveyance state determination means, the conveyance state switching means, and the delivery instruction means. A plurality of unit device groups are provided for one warehousing line as one unit device group, and a device group sorting unit that sorts the articles conveyed on the warehousing line for each storage unit of the unit device group And merging means for sorting and merging articles delivered from each unit device group for each unit device group.

  According to this characteristic configuration, a plurality of types of articles conveyed on the warehousing line are assigned to a plurality of units by assigning a plurality of types of articles conveyed on the warehousing line to each of the plurality of unit device groups. It can be divided into a group of devices and can be grouped together for each type. Then, when merging goods delivered from each unit assortment group, the merging means divides the goods delivered from each unit device group for each unit device group and joins them together. Can be combined. Therefore, even if there are a large number of types of articles, it is possible to efficiently classify them by type while being shared by a plurality of unit device groups.

  The feature configuration of the assortment system including the assortment device according to the present invention includes a plurality of the assortment devices according to any of the first to seventh feature configurations, and the type of the article is one or more types. A high-order warehousing line that is divided into groups to which the goods belong, and sequentially conveys the goods for all the types of goods, and a high-order sorting means that sorts the goods of the high-order warehousing lines into the warehousing lines of the assortment device for each group. Is in the point that is provided.

  According to this characteristic configuration, by assigning a group of article types to each of a plurality of assortment apparatuses, the upper sorting means can sort the articles on the upper warehousing line into the assortment apparatus for each group. A plurality of groups of articles conveyed on the upper warehousing line can be grouped into a plurality of assortment devices, and can be classified together for each type by each assortment device. Therefore, it is possible to realize a load assortment system that can efficiently classify articles of a plurality of groups for each type.

Top view of assortment system Plan view of assortment device Block diagram of assortment device The figure which shows the flow state of the article in the assortment apparatus Flow chart showing the operation of the assortment device Plan view of assortment device Plan view of main parts of assortment device The top view of the assortment apparatus in another embodiment The top view of the assortment apparatus in another embodiment

An embodiment of a loading system including a loading apparatus according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
As shown in FIG. 1, this assortment system is provided with a plurality (eg, four) of assortment devices 1 according to the present invention, and the type of the article 2 is, for example, the shipping destination of the article 2 (eg, a customer or a store). The shipping destination of the article 2 is divided for each group to which one or a plurality of shipping destinations belong. One group is assigned to one assortment device 1, and it is determined which assortment device 1 performs assortment of shipping destination articles 2 belonging to which group.

  In this assortment system, all the shipping destination articles 2 transported on the upper warehousing line 3 are first sorted into the same assortment apparatus 1 for the shipping destination articles 2 in the same group. Each is sorted into the assortment device 1. Then, in each of the plurality of assortment devices 1 in which the articles 2 of the same group as the shipping destination are sorted, the shipping lines 10 are grouped together in a state in which they are arranged in a line in the transport direction for each shipping destination, and are discharged at the shipping line 10. .

  In this assortment system, the upper warehousing line 3 that sequentially conveys the articles 2 for all the shipping destination articles 2 and the articles 2 on the upper warehousing line 3 are sorted into the warehousing lines 4 of the assortment apparatus 1 for each group of shipping destinations. Upper sorting means 5 is provided. Although illustration is omitted, all of the articles 2 to be shipped to the shipping destination are stored in the warehouse section, and the articles 2 to be shipped from the articles 2 stored in the warehouse section based on an order from the shipping destination. And the selected article 2 is sequentially conveyed to the upper warehousing line 3. The upper warehousing line 3 is a line that conveys the articles 2 conveyed in random order from the warehouse department in the same order regardless of where the shipping destination is. Here, the article 2 conveyed to the upper warehousing line 3 includes a barcode label, an ID tag, and the like having outgoing article information such as where the article 2 is shipped and what kind of article the article 2 is. An information storage medium is installed. Incidentally, in the one shown in FIG. 1, the upper warehousing line 3 is configured to return the articles 2 that could not be sorted into any of the assortment devices 1 to the upstream side in the transport direction from the assortment device 1. ing.

Although not shown in detail in the upper sorting means 5, for example, each of the warehousing lines 4 of the plurality of assortment devices 1 is branched and connected to a main sorting line that sequentially conveys the articles 2 in the upper warehousing line 3. A branch member (not shown) such as a pusher that branches and conveys the articles 2 in the line to the respective warehousing lines 4 is provided.
The upper sorting means 5 is, for example, an information reading device (not shown) that reads out the article information of the information storage medium installed in the article 2 conveyed from the upper warehousing line 4 at the most upstream position in the conveying direction of the main sorting line. (Omitted) is provided, and information such as where the shipping destination is is acquired from the delivered article information read by this information reading device.
Then, the higher level sorting control device of the higher level sorting means 5 branches based on the outgoing goods information read by the information reading device so as to branch and transport the goods 2 of the same group shipping destination to the same incoming line 4. By controlling the operation of the members, the articles 2 on the main sorting line are sorted into each warehousing line 4 for each group of shipping destinations.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, each of the plurality of assortment apparatuses 1 includes a warehousing line 4, a storage means 8, a warehousing means 9, a warehousing line 10, a branch / merging line 11, and an article number management means. 12, a final article conveyance state determination unit 13, a conveyance state switching unit 14, and a delivery command unit 15. Here, for example, the article number management means 12, the final article conveyance state determination means 13, the conveyance state switching means 14, and the like are provided in a control device that controls the operation of the assortment apparatus 1.

  The warehousing line 4 is a line that conveys the articles 2 that are sequentially conveyed in a line in the order, and conveys the articles 2 in any order regardless of the shipping destination. The goods 2 with the same shipment destination are conveyed to the warehousing line 4.

  The storage unit 8 receives the articles 2 that are sequentially conveyed on the warehousing line 4, and manages and stores which shipping destination of the articles 2 is stored in any of the plurality of storage units 19. The storage unit 8 includes an article storage shelf 20 including a plurality of storage units 19, a receiving unit 21 that receives articles 2 on the warehousing line, and each of the plurality of storage units 19, and each of the plurality of storage units 19. And an article transporting device 23 (for example, a stacker crane) that can transport the article 2 between the delivery section 10 and the delivery section 22 that exits the delivery line 10.

A pair of the article storage shelves 20 are arranged so that the direction in which the articles 2 are put in and out of the storage unit 19 are opposed to each other, and the movement path of the article transport device 23 is arranged between the pair of article storage shelves 20. The receiving unit 21 is configured by a transporting device or the like that can transport the article 2, and is configured to be capable of transporting the article 2 on the warehousing line 4 to a receiving / receiving position of the article 2 with the article transporting device 23. The unloading unit 22 is configured by a conveying device or the like that can convey the article 2, and is configured to be able to convey the article 2 received at the delivery point of the article 2 with the article conveying device 23 to the unloading line 10. ing.
For example, an information reading device that reads out goods information of an information storage medium installed in the article 2 is provided in the receiving unit 21, and a storage control device that controls the operation of the storage unit 8 is an information reading device. Based on the read out article information, the storage unit 19 manages the storage information indicating which article 2 is stored in which storage unit 19, and sequentially receives the articles 2 received by the receiving unit 21 in the plurality of storage units 19. The operation of the article conveying device 23 is controlled so as to be stored in any one of them.

  When the delivery destination of the article 2 to be delivered from the storage means 8 is instructed by the delivery instruction, the delivery means 9 has the same shipping destination as the delivery destination instructed from the article 2 stored in the storage means 8 by the delivery instruction. All of the articles 2 are selected and delivered from the storage means 8 to the delivery line 10. Based on the storage information managed, the storage control device of the storage means 8 has the article transport device 23 in order to cause the delivery unit 22 to deliver all the articles 2 having the same delivery destination as the delivery destination instructed by the delivery instruction. Control the operation. Thus, the unloading unit 9 unloads all the articles 2 having the same shipping destination as the shipping destination instructed by the unloading command to the unloading line 10 by using the article conveying device 23 as the storage unit 8.

As described above, the assortment apparatus 1 sequentially stores in the storage unit 8 the articles 2 of a plurality of shipment destinations of the same group that are shipped on the warehousing line 4, but the assortment according to the present invention. The apparatus 1 does not simply store all the articles 2 in the storage means 8 for each of a plurality of shipping destinations, but transports the final article, which is the last article 2 to be delivered to the delivery line 10, to the storage means 8. It is configured to be switchable between a state to be carried out and a state to be carried out to the leaving line 10 without being transported to the storage means 8. Here, the final article is a final article that is conveyed toward a branching position among articles to be delivered to the delivery line in each of a plurality of types, and there is one for each type.
Further, in the assortment apparatus 1 according to the present invention, when the final article reaches the branching point 24 of the branching / merging line 11 in the warehousing line 4, the goods 2 of the same shipping destination as the final article are delivered from the storage means 8 to the delivery line 10. Has started to issue goods. Therefore, the assortment apparatus 1 according to the present invention includes a branch / merging line 11, an article number management unit 12, a final article conveyance state determination unit 13, a conveyance state switching unit 14, and a delivery command unit 15. .

The branching / merging line 11 is a line for branching and transporting the articles 2 transported in the warehousing line 4 and bypassing the storage means 8 and merging and transporting them to the unloading line 10, and transports the articles 2 in a line.
The number-of-articles management means 12 is directed to the number of goods to be delivered indicating the number of goods 2 to be delivered to the delivery line 10 for each of a plurality of shipping destinations of the goods 2, and to the branching point 24 of the branch merging line 11 in the warehouse line 4 The number of transported articles indicating the number of transported articles 2 is managed. Then, the article number management means 12 acquires the number of articles delivered for each of a plurality of shipping destinations based on an order from the shipping destination. The article number management means 12 is configured to be able to communicate various information with the storage control device of the storage means 8. The storage control device of the storage means 8 is connected to the storage unit 19 by the article transport device 23. When the storage of the article 2 is completed, storage completion information that enables identification of the shipping destination of the stored article 2 is transmitted to the article number management means 12. Thereby, the number-of-items management unit 12 counts the number of stored items indicating the number of items 2 stored in the storage unit 8 for each of a plurality of shipping destinations based on the storage completion information from the storage control device of the storage unit 8. The number of stored articles is managed as the number of conveyed articles.

The final article transport state determination means 13 is based on the number of delivered articles and the number of transported articles managed by the article number management means 12 and the final article is transported toward the branching point 24 for each of a plurality of shipping destinations. It is determined whether or not it is in a transport state. The final article transport state determination means 13 includes, for example, an information reading device 25 (for example, a bar code reader if the information storage medium is a bar code) that reads out article information of the information storage medium of the article 2 that reaches the branch point 24. Therefore, the shipping destination of the article 2 conveyed toward the branching point 24 is grasped based on the outgoing article information read by the information reading device 25. Then, the final article conveyance state determination means 13 reads out the number of goods delivered and the number of conveyed articles from the article number management means 12 for the same shipment destination as the shipment destination of the article 2 conveyed toward the branch point 24, and conveys the article. If the number of articles is only one smaller than the number of delivered articles, it is determined that the final article is being conveyed.
The installation position of the information reading device 25 can be changed as appropriate. For example, the information reading device 25 can be installed at a branch point branched from the upper warehousing line 3 to the branch sorting line 7 or on the upstream side in the transport direction from the branch point 24 in the warehousing line 4. In this way, by changing the installation location of the information reading device 25, the determination as to whether or not the final article conveyance state is in place is not limited to the timing at which the final article 2 arrives at the branch location 24, but an earlier timing. (The timing when the article 2 is branched to the branch sorting line 7 or the timing when the article 2 is being conveyed toward the branching point 24 in the warehousing line 4) can also be performed.

  The conveyance state switching means 14 conveys the articles 2 conveyed toward the branch point 24 to the storage means 8 through the warehousing line 4 until the final article conveyance state determination means 13 determines that the final article conveyance state is present. Switch to the warehousing state. Further, when the final article transport state determination unit 13 determines that the final article transport state is determined to be the final article transport state, the transport state switching unit 14 causes the goods 2 transported toward the warehousing transport state and the branch point 24 to pass through the branch junction line 11. It switches to the side selected based on the selection state among the branch conveyance states to be branched and conveyed.

  Here, as a selection condition, the first time required for the final article to be branched and conveyed from the branch point 24 to the branch and merge line 11 and then merged and conveyed to the delivery line 10 and the same type of article as the final article are stored from the storage unit 8. It is determined on the basis of the second time required for the delivery line 10 to go out. For example, when the second time is longer than the first time, the warehousing / conveying state is selected, and when the second time is equal to or shorter than the first time, the condition for selecting the branch / conveying state is set as the selection condition. When the selection condition is determined in this way, the conveyance state switching means 14 obtains the first time and the second time and determines the magnitude relationship between the first time and the second time when the final article is conveyed toward the branch point 24. Compare. The transport state switching means 14 switches to the warehousing transport state when the second time is longer than the first time, and switches to the branch transport state when the second time is less than the first time.

  In addition, if the time until the final article arrives at the branch point 24 after the article immediately before the final article passes through the branch point 24, the second time becomes longer. Therefore, as described above, instead of the configuration in which the magnitude relationship between the first time and the second time is a selection condition, the elapsed time after the article immediately before the final article passes through the branch point 24 is It is possible to determine a set time that is a criterion for determining the magnitude relationship between the 1 hour and the second time. As a result, when the elapsed time after the article immediately before the final article passes through the branch point 24 is shorter than the set time, the state is switched to the warehousing state, and the article immediately before the final article passes through the branch point 24. When the elapsed time after passing is equal to or longer than the set time, a condition for switching to the branch conveyance state can be set as a selection condition.

  The conveyance state switching means 14 includes, for example, a switching unit 26 whose position is freely changeable between a retreat position for retreating from the article 2 on the warehousing line 4 and a guide position for contacting the article 2 on the warehousing line 4 and guiding to the branching / merging line 11. And a switching unit for switching the switching unit 26 to the retracted position when switching to the warehousing state and switching the switching unit 26 to the guide position when switching to the branch conveyance state. 26 position switching is controlled.

When the final article arrives at the branch location 24, the delivery instruction means 15 issues a delivery instruction to the delivery means 9 as the shipping destination of the article 2 to be delivered from the storage means 8 with the same shipping destination as the final article that has reached the branch location 24. I do. As a result, the unloading means 9 selects all the articles 2 having the same shipping destination as the shipping destination instructed by the unloading instruction from the unloading instruction means 15 and unloads them from the storage means 8 to the unloading line 10. Therefore, the article 2 delivered from the storage means 8 to the delivery line 10 and the article 2 branched and conveyed in the branch / merge line 11 merge at the delivery line 10, and the articles 2 of the same shipping destination are conveyed in the conveyance direction. In the state of being lined up in a row, they are grouped together and discharged at the shipping line 10.
Incidentally, in this embodiment, the exit command means 15 detects that the final article has arrived at the branch point 24 based on the detection information of the information reading device 25. When the information reading device 25 is installed on the upstream side, in addition to the detection information of the information reading device 25, it is necessary until the article 2 is transported from the installation position of the information reading device 25 to the branch point 24. Based on the time, it can be detected that the final article has arrived at the branch point 24.

Hereinafter, operation | movement of the assortment apparatus 1 is demonstrated based on FIG.4 and FIG.5.
Here, the shipping destinations are grouped so that a plurality of shipping destinations belong to one group. As a branch transport destination from the upper warehousing line 3, One group is assigned. For example, the assortment apparatus 1 shown in FIG. 4 is assigned so as to perform assortment of the goods 2 of the eight shipping destinations whose shipping destinations are A to H. Thereby, the goods 2 whose shipping destinations are A to H are conveyed to the warehousing line 4 shown in FIG.

As shown in FIG. 4A and FIG. 4B, the article number management means 12 manages the number of outgoing articles and the number of conveyed articles (number of stored articles) for each of the articles 2 whose shipping destinations are A to H. is doing. At this time, when it is determined that the article 2 of the shipping destination A is being transported toward the branch point 24, the final article transporting state determination unit 13 compares the number of delivered articles and the number of transported articles for the shipping destination A. It is determined whether or not it is in the final article conveyance state (step # 1). As shown in FIG. 4A, when the number of transported articles (2) is smaller by 2 than the number of outgoing articles (4), the final article transport state determination means 13 transports the articles 2 transported toward the branch point 24. Is not the final product of the shipping destination A, it is determined that it is not in the final product transport state. Then, the conveyance state switching means 14 switches to the warehousing state in accordance with the determination that the final article conveyance state determination means 13 is not in the final article conveyance state, and the shipping destination A of the shipping destination A that has been conveyed toward the branch point 24 is switched. The article 2 is conveyed to the storage means 8 through the warehousing line 4 and is stored in any of the plurality of storage units 19 by the storage means 8 (step # 2).
In this way, when the final article transport state determination unit 13 determines that the article 2 transported toward the branch point 24 is not in the final article transport state, the article 2 transported toward the branch point 24. Is conveyed to the storage means 8 in the warehousing line 4 and stored in the storage means 8. Then, until it is determined that the article 2 conveyed toward the branch point 24 is in the final article conveyance state, the article 2 that has reached the branch point 24 is conveyed to the storage unit 8 by the warehousing line 4 and stored. It will be stored in.

As shown in FIG. 4B, when the number of conveyed articles (3) is smaller by 1 than the number of issued articles (4), the article 2 conveyed toward the branch point 24 is the final article 2a of the shipping destination A. If there is, the final article conveyance state determination means 13 determines that it is in the final article conveyance state (step # 1). Then, the transfer state switching means 14 selects either the warehousing transfer state or the branch transfer state according to the selection condition, and switches to the selected side (steps # 3 to # 5). Regarding the selection condition, the first time required for the final article to be branched and conveyed from the branch point 24 to the branch and merge line 11 and merged and conveyed to the delivery line 10 and the same type of article as the final article are stored from the storage means 8 to the delivery line 10. For example, when the second time is longer than the first time, the warehousing and transporting state is selected, and when the second time is equal to or shorter than the first time, the branching and transporting state is selected. The conditions for selecting are defined. Therefore, when the final article is conveyed toward the branch point 24, the conveyance state switching unit 14 obtains the first time and the second time, and compares the magnitude relationship between the first time and the second time. The transport state switching means 14 switches to the warehousing transport state when the second time is longer than the first time, and switches to the branch transport state when the second time is less than the first time.
4B shows a case where the transport state switching means 14 is switched to the branch transport state, and the final article 2a of the shipping destination A transported toward the branch point 24 is transferred to the branch merge line 11. Branched and transported. Incidentally, the case where the transfer state switching means 14 is switched to the warehousing transfer state is the same as FIG.

  When it is determined by the final article conveyance state determination means 13 that the final article conveyance state has been reached, the delivery instruction means 15 when the final article 2a of the shipping destination A reaches the branch point 24, the delivery destination of the article 2 to be delivered. Is issued to the exit means 9 (step # 6). Thereby, the unloading means 9 selects all the articles 2 whose shipping destinations are instructed by the unloading instruction from the unloading instruction means 15 and unloads them from the storage means 8 to the unloading line 10.

  In this way, when the final article 2a of the shipping destination A is switched to the storage means 8 after being switched to the warehousing and transporting state, the final article 2a of the shipping destination A is switched to the branching and transporting state. Even when it is branched and conveyed to the line 11, as shown in FIG. 4 (c), all of the goods 2 of the shipping destination A delivered from the storage means 8 and the shipment that is branched and conveyed at the branch and merge line 11. The goods 2 of the destination A will be merged, and the goods 2 of the shipping destination A will be grouped together in a line in the transport direction, and delivered at the delivery line 10.

  Here, as shown in FIG. 6, the shipping destination A of the shipping destination A transported toward the joining point of the delivery line 10 in the branching junction line 11 with the goods 2 of the delivery destination A delivered from the storage means 8 to the delivery unit 22. When the article 2 is merged and conveyed to the delivery line 10, the article 2 delivered from the storage unit 8 to the delivery unit 22 and the article 2 in the branch junction line 11 are classified by type and are conveyed by the delivery line 10. A confluence conveying means 30 is provided. The merging / conveying means 30 includes, for example, a merging switching unit 31 that can be switched between a merging state that allows the merging of the articles 2 to the delivery line 10 and a merging prohibition state that prohibits the merging of the articles 2. The merging / conveying control device of the merging / conveying means 30 is configured so that all of the articles 2 at the shipping destination A are delivered to the delivery line 10 based on detection information of various sensors (not shown) (for example, sensors for detecting whether or not the article has passed). Until the product 2 of the shipping destination B is joined to the delivery line 10 until it is joined to the delivery line 10, and when all the products 2 of the shipping destination A are joined to the delivery line 10, the delivery line 10 of the product 2 of the delivery destination B is delivered. The operation of the merging switching unit 31 is controlled so as to allow the merging and conveyance to the. Incidentally, in the one shown in FIG. 4C, the articles 2 in the branch / merge line 11 are joined to the rear side in the transport direction of the plurality of articles 2 delivered from the storage means 8, but the same kind of articles 2 are combined. As long as they can be collected together, it is possible to appropriately change where the articles 2 in the branching / merging line 11 are merged with respect to the plurality of articles 2 delivered from the storage unit 8. Moreover, about the structure of the confluence | merging conveyance means 30, it is not restricted to the structure provided with the confluence | merging switching part 31, For example, the confluence | merging conveyance to the delivery line 11 of the articles | goods 2 is also prohibited by stopping the conveyance of the branch merge line 11, etc. It is possible and other configurations can be adapted.

  In this way, since the merging / conveying means 30 is provided, for example, the merging unit 22 is provided with a structure for merging and conveying the articles 2 delivered from the storage means 8 to the evacuation line 10 while storing the articles 2 to some extent, and branching / merging Even if the branching / merging line 11 is provided with a configuration for merging and transporting the article 2 to the outlet line 10 while storing the article 2 in the line 11, the article 2 delivered from the storage unit 8 and the article 2 in the branching / merging line 11 are classified by type. And can be transported at the delivery line 10.

  4 and FIG. 6, the case where the article 2 of the shipping destination A is conveyed toward the branching place 24 is described, but the article 2 of the shipping destinations B to H is similarly connected to the branching place 24. Each time the article 2 is conveyed, it is determined whether or not it is in the final article conveyance state depending on whether or not the article 2 is the final article 2a at the shipping destination. Thereby, each of the articles 2 of the shipping destinations B to H is sequentially stored in the storage means 8 until the final article 2a is transported toward the branch point 24, and the final article 2a is stored in the branch point 24. When it is transported toward, it is switched by selecting either the warehousing transport state or the branch transport state, and when the final article 2a arrives at the branch point 24, the storage of the articles of the same shipping destination other than the final article 2a The delivery from the means 8 to the delivery line 10 is started, and the articles 2 having the same shipping destination are grouped together in a row in the transport direction and are delivered on the delivery line 10.

  Here, the article number management means 12 manages the number of stored articles as the number of conveyed articles, so that when the final article 2a reaches the branch point 24, the articles 2 other than the final article are still stored in the storage means 8. When it is not done, the number of stored articles can be kept from being smaller by one than the number of outgoing articles. Therefore, the final article conveyance state determination unit 13 determines that the final article conveyance state is not set, and the conveyance state switching unit 14 can be switched to the warehousing conveyance state. Thus, when the final article 2a is transported toward the branch point 24 and the article 2 other than the final article is not yet stored in the storage means 8, the final article 2a is also stored in the same manner as the other articles 2. After being stored once in FIG. 8, they can be collected together and delivered to the delivery line 10, and it is possible to reliably sort the articles 2 together by type in the delivery line 10.

The article number management means 12 manages the number of stored articles as the number of conveyed articles. Where is the shipping destination of the article 2 that has reached the branch point 24 by the information reading device 25 provided at the branch point 24. Therefore, the number of conveyed articles can be managed based on the read information of the information reading device 25.
Incidentally, the article number management means 12 can also manage both the number of stored articles and the number of conveyed articles. As a result, the final article conveyance state determination unit 13 determines whether or not the final article conveyance state is in the final article conveyance state from the number of conveyance articles, and the articles 2 other than the final article are still stored in the storage unit 8 even in the final article conveyance state. It can also be determined whether or not the unstored state has not been stored. And the conveyance state switching means 14 can also be switched to a warehousing conveyance state, when it is discriminate | determined by the final article conveyance state determination means 13 that it is an unstored state.

[Second Embodiment]
In this second embodiment, as shown in FIG. 7, the storage means 8, the delivery means 8, the article number management means 12, the final article conveyance state determination means 13, the conveyance state switching means 14, and the delivery instruction means 15 are set to 1. As one unit device group 16, a plurality of unit device groups 16 (for example, two) are provided for one warehousing line 4. Incidentally, in the one shown in FIG. 7, the delivery line 10 and the branching / merging line 11 are shared by a plurality of unit device groups 16.

In the second embodiment, a plurality of shipping destinations are assigned to one unit device group 16, and it is determined which goods device of which shipping destination is used for which unit device group 16 performs assortment. .
Since the shipping destination articles 2 assigned to the plurality of unit device groups 16 are conveyed to the warehousing line 4, device group sorting means 17 is provided for sorting the articles 2 on the warehousing line 4 for each unit device group 16. ing. The device group sorting unit 17 includes a branching member (not shown) such as a pusher that branches and conveys the articles 2 in the warehousing line 4 to the receiving unit 21 of each unit device group 16. For example, on the basis of the outgoing article information read by the information reading device, the branching member is actuated so that the shipping destination article 2 assigned to each unit device group 16 is branched and conveyed to the same receiving unit 21. By controlling, the articles 2 in the warehousing line 4 are sorted for each unit device group 16.

  Further, since the delivery line 10 is shared by the plurality of unit device groups 16, the articles 2 delivered from each of the plurality of unit device groups 16 are joined and conveyed to the delivery line 10. Therefore, the articles 2 delivered from each unit device group 16 are classified for each unit device group 16 so that the articles 2 are grouped and conveyed for each type in the delivery line 10 in a line in the transport direction. Thus, a merging means 18 for merging with the delivery line 10 is provided. The merging means 18, for example, when joining the article 2 delivered to the delivery unit 22 of a certain unit device group 16 to the delivery line 10, based on detection information of various sensors not shown in the figure, other unit device groups It is determined whether or not the goods 2 are joined from the 16 delivery parts 22 to the delivery line 10, and if it is determined that they are not joined, the goods 2 are joined from the delivery part 22 of the unit device group 16 to the delivery line 10. Therefore, if the operation of the delivery unit 22 is controlled and it is determined that they are merged, the operation of the delivery unit 22 is prohibited so as to prohibit the joining of the articles 2 from the delivery unit 22 of the certain unit device group 16 to the delivery line 10. To control. The configuration of the merging means 18 is not limited to the configuration that controls the operation of the shipping unit 22, and includes, for example, switching means that can be switched between a state in which merging from the shipping unit 22 to the shipping line 10 is allowed and a state in which merging is prohibited. By controlling the operation of the switching means, it is possible to classify the articles 2 delivered from each unit device group 16 for each unit device group 16 and join them to the delivery line 10, and other configurations can be applied. It is also possible to do.

[Another embodiment]
(1) In the above embodiment, as shown in FIG. 8, a part of the branching / merging line 11 and the outgoing line 10 in the assortment devices 1 adjacent to each other in the transport direction of the upper incoming line 3 may also be configured. it can. Incidentally, in FIG. 8, the case where the unit assembling device 16 is provided in the assortment apparatus 1 is shown.
In the structure shown in FIG. 8, the branch / merge line 11 is joined by connecting the branch / merge line 11 of the assortment apparatus 1 located on the lower side in the figure to the branch / merge line 11 of the load assortment apparatus 1 located on the upper side in the figure. 11 is also partly used. Further, by connecting the delivery line 10 of the assortment apparatus 1 located on the lower side in the figure to the delivery line 10 of the assortment apparatus 1 located on the upper side in the figure, a part of the delivery line 10 is also used. Yes.

(2) In the above-described embodiment, the storage unit 8 includes the article storage shelf 20 including the plurality of storage units 19, the receiving unit 21 that receives the articles 2 on the warehousing line, and the plurality of storage units 19. An article transporting device 23 (for example, a stacker crane) capable of transporting the article 2 between each of the plurality of storage units 19 and the unloading unit 22 that unloads to the unloading line 10 is provided. Instead of this configuration, for example, as shown in FIG. 9, the storage unit 8 sorts the storage lines 30 as a plurality of storage units and the articles 2 of the warehousing line 4 into a plurality of storage lines 30 for each type. It can also be configured with sorting means 31. Although not shown, the sorting unit 31 includes a branch transport unit that can freely transport the articles 2 in the warehousing line 4. When the articles 2 reach the storage line 30 that is a sorting destination, the articles are separated by the branch transport unit. 2 is branched and conveyed, and as shown in FIG. 9, the shipping destinations A to F are sorted into a plurality of storage lines 30. In this case, each of the plurality of storage lines 30 is configured to be able to transport all of the stored articles 2 to the shipping line 10, and the shipping means 9 is the same shipping destination as the shipping destination instructed by the shipping command. Goods 2 are delivered to the delivery line 10 at the storage line 30.

(3) In the above embodiment, the type of the article is the shipment destination of the article. For example, the type of the article can be the type of the article, and how the type of the article is determined can be appropriately changed. is there.

(4) In the above embodiment, the selection condition is determined based on the first time and the second time. For example, if the final article transport state determination unit 13 determines that the final article transport state is present, A condition for selecting the branch conveyance state can be set as the selection condition. In addition, an artificially operated switch that can be switched between the warehousing state and the branching state is provided, and the condition for selecting the side to which the changeover switch is switched can be used as the selection condition. It can be determined as a condition.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Assortment apparatus 2 Goods 3 Upper receipt line 4 Receipt line 5 Upper sorting means 8 Storage means 9 Delivery means 10 Delivery line 11 Branching / merging line 12 Article number management means 13 Final article conveyance state discrimination means 14 Conveyance state switching means 15 Delivery instruction Means 16 Unit device group 17 Device group sorting means 18 Merging means 19 Storage unit 20 Article storage shelf 21 Receiving unit 22 Unloading unit 23 Article transport device 24 Branching point

Claims (8)

A storage means for receiving a plurality of types of articles sequentially conveyed in a row on the warehousing line, identifying and storing the type of the article in any of a plurality of storage units;
When the type of article to be delivered from the storage means is instructed by the delivery instruction, all the articles of the same type as the type instructed by the exit instruction are selected from the articles stored in the storage means. An assortment device provided with a delivery means for delivery to a delivery line from
A branch merging line for branching and transporting articles conveyed in the warehousing line to bypass the storage means and merging and transporting to the shipping line;
For each of the plurality of types of articles, the number of articles delivered indicating the number of articles delivered to the delivery line, and the number of articles conveyed indicating the number of articles conveyed toward the branching point of the branch / merging line in the warehouse line. Article number management means for managing
Based on the number of delivered articles and the number of conveyed articles managed by the article number management means, the final article that is the last article to be delivered to the delivery line for each of the plurality of types of articles is the branching point. Final article transport state determination means for determining whether or not the final article transport state transported toward the
Until the final article transport state determining means determines that the final article transport state, the article transported toward the branch point is switched to a warehousing state where the article is transported to the storage means on the warehousing line, When the final article transport state determination means determines that the final article transport state, the warehousing transport state and the branch transport state for branching and transporting the article transported toward the branch point at the branch junction line Conveying state switching means for switching to the selected side based on the selection condition;
When the final article reaches the branch point for each of a plurality of types of the article, the same type as the final article that has reached the branch point is set as the type of article to be discharged from the storage unit with respect to the shipping unit. An assortment device provided with a delivery command means for issuing a delivery command.   The selection condition is that the first time required for the final article to be branched and conveyed from the branch point to the branch and merge line and merged and conveyed to the delivery line and the same type of article as the final article from the storage means. The assortment apparatus according to claim 1, which is determined based on a second time required for delivery to the delivery line.   The merging and conveying means is provided, wherein the article delivered from the storage means and the article conveyed by the branch merging line are classified for each type and merged and conveyed by the outgoing line. Assortment equipment. The storage means includes an article storage shelf provided with the plurality of storage units, an article transfer unit capable of transporting articles between each of the plurality of storage units and a receiving unit that receives articles conveyed on the warehousing line. Comprising a device,
The article transporting device is configured to be able to transport an article between each of the plurality of storage units and a delivery unit that delivers to the delivery line,
The cargo unloading apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the unloading unit unloads articles of the same type as the type instructed by the unloading instruction to the unloading line by the article transporting apparatus. The storage unit includes a plurality of storage lines as the plurality of storage units, and a sorting unit that sorts articles conveyed by the warehousing line into the plurality of storage lines for each type.
Each of the plurality of storage lines is configured to be able to transport all of the stored articles to the delivery line,
The cargo unloading apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the unloading unit unloads articles of the same type as the type instructed by the unloading instruction to the unloading line at the storage line.   The goods assortment apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the article number management unit manages the number of stored articles indicating the number of articles stored in the storage unit as the number of conveyed articles. The storage means, the delivery means, the article number management means, the final article conveyance state determination means, the conveyance state switching means, and the delivery instruction means as one unit device group for one entry line. A plurality of the unit device groups are provided,
Device group sorting means for sorting the articles conveyed in the warehousing line for each storage means of the unit device group;
The assortment device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, further comprising a merging unit configured to divide and merge articles delivered from each unit device group for each unit device group. A plurality of assortment apparatuses according to any one of claims 1 to 7,
The type of the article is divided into groups to which one or more types belong,
An upper warehousing line that sequentially conveys articles for all the types of articles,
The assortment system provided with the high-order sorting means which sorts the articles | goods of the said upper warehousing line into the said warehousing line of the said assortment apparatus for every said group.

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