JP2010189175A - Automated storage and inventory counting method for the same - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To receive and deliver articles while carrying out inventory count. <P>SOLUTION: Inventory count is carried out in an automated storage while using a sensor for reading the information of articles so that a ground controller updates inventory data. When articles of which information is already read are required to be delivered during inventory count, the delivery required articles are delivered by a transfer device. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to inventory in an automatic warehouse.

  In an automatic warehouse, for example, it is known that inventory is performed for all stored fronts to check stored articles against a shelf file (Patent Document 1: JPH11-139514A). By the way, if the mode in which the automatic warehouse can perform normal loading / unloading is the online mode, and the mode in which the normal loading / unloading cannot be performed is the offline mode, the automatic warehouse shifts to the offline mode due to inventory. Here, on-line / off-line represents an automatic warehouse mode from the viewpoint of whether it is possible to automatically command entry / exit from the ground controller. When stocktaking is performed, the automatic warehouse is kept in the offline mode for a long time, so normal loading / unloading cannot be performed during that time. This affects production at a factory where an automatic warehouse is installed or distribution at a distribution center.

JPH11-139514A

  It is an object of the present invention to reduce the influence on inventory in an automatic warehouse due to inventory.

The present invention includes a shelf, a transfer device, a sensor for reading information on an article, and a ground controller that causes the transfer device to execute loading and unloading and inventorying and stores inventory data of the shelf. Automatic warehouse,
The inventory controller updates the inventory data by causing the sensor to read the information of the article at the time of inventory, and when the article is requested to be issued during the inventory, only for the article whose information has been read, It is characterized in that it is configured to be delivered by a transfer device.

The present invention also includes a shelf, a transfer device, a sensor for reading information on the article, and a ground controller for causing the transfer device to execute loading / unloading and inventorying and storing shelf inventory data. Against automated warehouse
Updating the inventory data in the ground controller by causing the sensor to read information about the article at the time of inventory;
In a stocktaking method in an automatic warehouse, a step of stocking the article only when the article has been read out is requested by the transfer device when the article is requested during the inventory.
In this specification, the description related to the automatic warehouse applies to the inventory method in the automatic warehouse as it is, and the description related to the inventory method in the automatic warehouse also applies to the automatic warehouse as it is. The stocktaking may be performed periodically by re-reading article information, for example, an identification code such as an ID, or may be performed to restore data when data is erased.

  In the present invention, goods can be issued for articles whose information has already been read even during inventory, so that articles can be issued in parallel with inventory. Articles that are inventoried and whose information has not been read will not be issued. As a matter of course, for a shelf that has been confirmed to be an empty shelf, for example, the inventory flag is cleared, so that goods can be received even during inventory. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the influence of inventory on the receipt / exit of goods.

Preferably, at the time of inventory, the ground controller sets the data being inventoried for each frontage of the shelf and prohibits entry / exit, and cancels the data in stocktaking for each frontage where the information of the article has been read. Configure to be able to enter and exit.
In this way, by setting that inventory is in progress for each minimum unit of the article storage location on the frontage, that is, on the shelf, and canceling it after the inventory, the inventory is finished for each frontage and the goods are put in and out. Can be made possible. Therefore, it is possible to minimize the influence of the inventory on the entering / exiting.

The figure which shows the layout of the automatic warehouse of the example Block diagram showing the control system of the automatic warehouse of the embodiment The figure which shows the shelf file in an Example typically The flowchart which shows the algorithm of the inventory method of an Example

  In the following, an optimum embodiment for carrying out the present invention will be shown.

  The automatic warehouse 2 of an Example and the inventory method of an Example are shown in FIGS. In the figure, reference numeral 4 denotes a shelf, for example, a pair of left and right sides, and 5 is an individual frontage of the shelf, which is a place for storing articles. Reference numerals 6 and 7 denote stations. For example, the station 6 delivers articles to and from an overhead traveling vehicle (not shown), and the station 7 delivers articles to and from an unillustrated automated guided vehicle. The automatic warehouse 2 of the embodiment is provided in a clean room, for example, and stores a semiconductor cassette or a cassette of a flat panel display substrate. Further, a processing device such as a semiconductor or a flat panel display may be provided integrally with the shelf 4.

  Reference numeral 8 denotes a stacker crane, which is an example of a transfer device, which travels on a traveling rail 10 provided between shelves 4 and 4 and raises and lowers a lifting platform 12. The lifting platform 12 is provided with a transfer device such as a slide fork 14, an ID reader 16, and a stock sensor 18. The ID reader 16 reads the ID of an article stored in the frontage 5, for example, and the ID is, for example, a barcode or RFID. Further, the ID reader 16 may be an ID reader / writer. The in-stock sensor 18 detects whether or not there is an article in the frontage 5 and uses, for example, a reflective photoelectric sensor.

  Reference numeral 20 denotes a ground controller that manages the entire automatic warehouse 2 and receives a command related to loading / unloading of articles from a host CPU (control processing unit) to control the stacker crane 8 to execute loading / unloading. In addition, inventory data in the shelves 4 and 4 are managed, the presence sensor 18 provided in the stacker crane 8 is checked for the presence / absence of articles for each frontage, and the ID of the article is read by the ID reader 16 to perform inventory.

  The relationship between the ground controller 20 and the stacker crane 8 is shown in FIG. The upper interface 22 of the ground controller 20 receives an entry / exit command from an upper CPU (not shown) and returns an entry / exit result. The warehousing / unloading management unit 24 manages warehousing / unloading from the automatic warehouse 2. Specifically, the warehousing / unloading management unit 24 determines the execution order of the warehousing / unloading commands, and determines the frontage of the warehousing destination and the frontage for delivery. The inventory management unit 26 manages the inventory in the automatic warehouse 2 and stores the inventory data. Therefore, the inventory file 28 that stores the inventory regardless of the storage location of the articles, the presence / absence of articles for each slot 5 of the shelf 4, and It manages a shelf file 30 that stores the IDs of articles. Reference numeral 32 denotes a monitor, and 34 denotes a user interface. An operator of the automatic warehouse 2 operates the automatic warehouse 2 using the user interface 34 and the monitor 32.

  Reference numeral 38 denotes a mode switching unit, and the operator uses the mode switching unit 38 to switch the mode of the automatic warehouse 2 between a normal loading / unloading mode (online mode), an inventory mode, a manual mode, and the like. In the inventory mode, the range of inventory can be specified in units of frontage 5 by displaying the layout of the automatic warehouse 2 on the monitor 32, for example. In addition to this, the range of the inventory includes the whole of the automatic warehouse 2, a series (one shelf facing the traveling rail 10 is composed of a plurality of rows), a row (a plurality of frontage overlapping the traveling rail 10 vertically), etc. Can be specified in any unit.

  The frontage is classified into an empty frontage and a stocking frontage on the shelf file 30, and the ID of the stored article is stored in the stocking frontage. An occupancy reservation can be made at an empty frontage, which indicates that warehousing at the frontage is reserved. In addition, it is possible to make a reservation for the exit of the cargo in stock, which indicates that the goods in the frontage are reserved for delivery. Articles other than the reserved one cannot be received at the entrance reserved reservation, and the articles at the exit reserved cannot be assigned to an exit instruction other than the reserved instruction. In the inventory mode, the mode switching unit 38 preferably automatically excludes the entry reservation exit and the exit reservation entrance from the inventory targets. Note that the user can also include the entry reservation exit and the exit reservation entrance from the user interface 34 as inventory targets.

  The reason why the entry reservation exit and the exit reservation entrance are excluded from the inventory target is because the reserved entry and exit are not hindered by the inventory. Further, even when the user sets to perform inventory from the user interface 34, the inventory is not immediately executed. The stocktaking is executed after waiting for an unexecuted item in a normal loading / unloading command, for example.

  The on-board controller 40 of the stacker crane 8 is instructed to enter and exit by communicating with the stacker crane management unit 36 of the ground controller 20. Then, it travels to the commanded frontage and moves up and down the elevator, and the goods are loaded and unloaded by a transfer device such as a slide fork. Reference numeral 42 denotes an elevating unit that elevates the elevating platform 12, and the traveling unit 44 causes the stacker crane 8 to travel.

  At the time of inventory, the stacker crane management unit 36 determines the order in which inventory is performed in frontage units, and transmits an inventory command to the on-board controller 40, for example, for each frontage. The on-board controller 40 runs and moves up and down to a designated frontage, inspects the presence / absence of the article with the stock sensor 18 and reads the ID of the stored article with the ID reader 16. Here, when an ID is assigned to each frontage, the frontage ID may be read by the ID reader 16 in addition to the ID of the article. Then, the onboard controller 40 returns to the stacker crane management unit 36 whether the designated frontage is in stock or empty and the ID of the article in the case of stock. In addition, an ID reader may be provided in the stations 6 and 7, and the stacker crane 8 may convey the goods at the front of the cargo to the station, read the ID with the ID reader of the station, and then return it to the shelf with the stacker crane.

  The stacker crane management unit 36 reports to the inventory management unit 26 whether the frontage is in stock or empty, and the ID of the article, and the inventory management unit 26 updates the shelf file 30 according to this data. For example, when inventory is performed on all the shelves 4 in the automatic warehouse 2, the inventory file 28 and the updated shelf file 30 are collated, and if they do not match, the inventory file 28 is updated.

  The stacker crane management unit 36 determines the order of the inventory so that the traveling length and the lifting height of the stacker crane 8 are minimized with respect to the designated inventory range, excluding the reservation reservation shelf and the reservation reservation shelf. The stocktaking destination is transmitted to the on-board controller 40 one by one.

  FIG. 3 schematically shows the configuration of the shelf file 30. The shelf file 30 is provided with a record for each frontage, and the data of each record is a distinction between being in stock and empty and the ID of the article in the case of being in stock. In addition, when an article with an unknown ID is in stock, this is described, and in addition, the warehousing reservation and the warehousing reservation are also described in the shelf file 30. By reading the ID for inventory with unknown ID and updating the shelf file, it can be handled in the same way as a normal article.

  FIG. 4 shows an inventory algorithm in the embodiment. First, the operator designates an inventory range from the user interface 34, and the inventory management unit 26 sets an inventory flag on the shelf file 30 for the designated frontage. At this time, the frontage where there is an entry reservation or an exit reservation is excluded from the inventory range.

  The stacker crane management unit 36 of the ground controller 20 instructs the front controller 40 of the stacker crane 8 to perform the stocktaking, for example, one by one. The stacker crane travels and moves up and down to the designated frontage, determines whether it is in stock or empty, and if it is in stock, reads the ID of the article and returns the result to the stacker crane management unit 36. The inventory management unit 26 updates the shelf file based on this result, and cancels the inventory flag for the frontage where the inventory has been completed. Then, normal entry and exit can be freely performed on the entrance where the inventory flag is released, and entry and exit are prohibited on the entrance where the inventory flag is set. The above operations are continued until inventory for all designated frontage is completed.

  In the embodiment, since the inventory flag is set for each frontage and the inventory flag is canceled for each frontage, the time during which inventory can not be stored due to the inventory can be minimized. Note that the data indicating that the inventory is in progress is not limited to the flag, and may be set in an arbitrary form. In addition, the unit for setting the data indicating that inventory is being performed may be a wider unit such as a column rather than a frontage, but in that case, the release of the data during the inventory is delayed, and entry / exit becomes possible The time until is longer.

  In the embodiment, when entry / exit is requested for a stocktaking frontage, if the stocking request enables entry into a free frontage for which no inventory flag is set, the stocking destination frontage is transferred. If the transfer cannot be made, the warehousing is waited. When the delivery is requested, the delivery is waited until the inventory flag at the front end is released. Here, it is preferable to change the inventory order and preferentially carry out the inventory in which the frontage is requested. In particular, it is preferable to read the ID of an inventory item by inventory and cancel the inventory flag when collating it with a shelf file and immediately issue the inventory. Note that shelves for which the inventory flag has not been set and shelves for which the inventory flag has been canceled can be entered and exited online as usual.

In the embodiment, the following effects can be obtained.
(1) A shelf that is not included in the inventory range can be entered and exited in parallel with the inventory.
(2) Since inventory is managed in units of frontage, loading and unloading can be executed from the frontage where inventory has been completed. For this reason, the time which waits for loading / unloading by inventory can be minimized.

2 Automatic warehouse 4 Shelf 5 Frontage 6, 7 Station 8 Stacker crane 10 Traveling rail 12 Lifting table 14 Slide fork 16 ID reader 18 Inventory sensor 20 Ground controller 22 Upper interface 24 Entry / exit management unit 26 Inventory management unit 28 Inventory file 30 Shelf file 32 Monitor 34 User interface 36 Stacker crane management section 38 Mode switching section 40 On-board controller 42 Lifting section 44 Traveling section

Claims (3)

An automatic warehouse comprising a shelf, a transfer device, a sensor for reading information on articles, and a ground controller for causing the transfer device to execute loading / unloading and inventorying and storing inventory data of the shelf. And
The inventory controller updates the inventory data by causing the sensor to read the information of the article at the time of inventory, and when the article is requested to be issued during the inventory, only for the article whose information has been read, An automatic warehouse characterized in that it is configured to be delivered by a transfer device. The above-mentioned ground controller sets the data that is being inventoried for each frontage of the shelf at the time of stocktaking and prohibits entry / exit, and can release the inventoried data for every frontage that has already read the item information. The automatic warehouse according to claim 1, wherein the automatic warehouse is configured as follows. For an automatic warehouse comprising a shelf, a transfer device, a sensor for reading information on articles, and a ground controller for causing the transfer device to execute loading and unloading and inventory and storing shelf inventory data And
Updating the inventory data in the ground controller by causing the sensor to read information about the article at the time of inventory;
A stocktaking method in an automatic warehouse, which includes a step of letting out the goods by using the transfer device only when the goods are requested to be delivered during the stocktaking.

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