JP2010280475A - Device for controlling warehousing to automated warehouse, device for controlling delivery from automated warehouse, and automated warehouse system - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To enhancing the efficiency in a carrying-out from an automated warehouse. <P>SOLUTION: An automated warehouse control device includes a warehouse information management section 55 for managing the use status of shelves installed in the warehouse for which priorities for storing skids are set in order from the shelf closest to a carrying-out port, a carrying-in processing section 52 for determining a shelf for storing a skid carried to a carrying-in port of the warehouse with reference to the use status of the shelves and the priorities set for the shelves and controlling a stack crane to store the skid to the determined shelf, and a carrying-out processing section 58 for specifying a skid to be carried out from the warehouse with reference to carrying-out schedule information in the timing of receiving switching information sent in accordance with the progress of production and carrying out the specified skid to a set lane specified based on the carrying-out schedule information. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an automatic warehouse system, and in particular, to storage / extraction of stored items in which one or more parts are stored.

  In an assembly plant such as a vehicle, there is a physical distribution (on-site physical distribution) for transporting the carried-in parts to the assembly line side. Parts may be loaded on pallets and delivered as skids. The delivered skid is carried into the production line using a forklift.

  Conventionally, a progress absorption division lane has been installed between the parts receiving side and the assembly line in order to prevent the parts from overflowing on the premises due to the difference in progress between the delivery of parts from the supplier and the delivery to the assembly line. is doing. Accordingly, the delivered skid is transported to the progress absorption division lane using a forklift, and can be temporarily stored in the progress absorption division lane until it is carried out to the assembly line side. Then, the skid is carried out from the progress absorption division lane to the assembly line in accordance with the line progress.

JP-A-8-175625 JP 2000-339015 A JP-A-5-143116 Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 10-113850 JP-A-5-270611

  An automatic warehouse that automatically loads and unloads skids may be adopted in consideration of efficiency related to storage of delivered skids. However, even if an automatic warehouse is used, it is not only necessary to find an empty place in the warehouse and store the skid, but the skid can be stored in a convenient location for carrying out from the warehouse. It is desirable to be able to carry out at an appropriate timing.

  It is an object of the present invention to improve the efficiency of carrying out from an automatic warehouse.

  The warehousing control apparatus for an automatic warehouse according to the present invention is a shelf that is installed in a warehouse and stores storage items in which one or more parts that have been transferred are stored, and is stored from a position close to a carry-out port. Warehouse management means for managing the usage status of the shelves to which the priorities are stored, carry-in control means for causing the carry-in means to transport the contained items as transport units to the carry-in entrance of the warehouse, and the shelf The storage location determination means for determining the shelf as the storage location of the stored items that have been transported to the warehouse entrance with reference to the usage status of the storage and the priority assigned to each of the shelves; It is characterized by having transport control means for transporting the contents conveyed to the carry-in entrance of the object storage means to the shelf determined as the storage place by the storage place determination means.

  The storage location determining means may determine a shelf for storing the stored item from among the lowest usage blocks when the warehouse is divided into a plurality of blocks.

  In addition, there is a storage information acquisition means for acquiring storage information regarding the storage material conveyed by the carry-in means, and the storage location determination means includes the storage information when there are a plurality of blocks having the lowest usage status. A shelf for storing the stored item is determined from the plurality of blocks with reference to the set information unique to the stored item.

  The delivery control device from an automatic warehouse according to the present invention is a warehouse management means for managing the usage status of a shelf that is installed in a warehouse and in which stored items containing one or more parts are stored, and storage from the warehouse An unloading plan information acquiring unit for acquiring unloading plan information of a product, a receiving unit for receiving switching information transmitted in accordance with the progress of production from the production process using the parts, and a reception timing of the switching information. A means for identifying the contents to be unloaded from the warehouse with reference to the unloading plan information, and a container for identifying the contents identified by the identifying means from the shelf in which the contents are stored. It is characterized by having conveyance control means for conveying to the unloading port, and unloading control means for unloading the contents transported to the unloading port of the warehouse to the production process.

  In addition, when having a storage information acquisition means for acquiring storage information about the storage that has been transported to the carry-out port of the warehouse, the transport control means, when a plurality of lines are formed in the production process, The stored item is carried out to the input port of the line specified from the stored item information acquired by the stored item information acquiring means.

  The automatic warehouse system according to the present invention is a shelf for storing things that contain one or more parts that have been carried in, and has been assigned a priority for storing the things from a position close to the outlet. A warehouse provided with shelves, a carrying-in means for carrying the contained items carried to the carry-in entrance of the warehouse as a conveyance unit, a conveying means for conveying the contained items in the warehouse, and the contained items in the warehouse The unloading means for transporting from the unloading port to the production process using the parts, the warehouse management means for managing the usage status of the shelf of the warehouse, the usage status of the shelf and the priority assigned to each of the shelves A storage location determining means for determining a shelf as a storage location for the stored items that have been transported to the carry-in entrance of the warehouse, and a unloading plan information acquiring unit for acquiring the storage plan information of the stored items from the warehouse; The receiving means for receiving the switching information transmitted according to the production progress status from the production process, and the contents to be unloaded from the warehouse with reference to the unloading plan information at the reception timing of the switching information The specifying means and the transporting means transport the storage material transported to the carry-in entrance of the storage material storage means to the shelf determined as the storage location by the storage location determination means, and the storage specified by the specification means A transport control means for transporting an object from a shelf in which the stored goods are stored to an exit of the warehouse; and an unloading for transporting the stored object transported to the exit of the warehouse to the production process by the unloading means. And a control means.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to preferentially store the contents that have been loaded in priority to the shelf at a position convenient for unloading from the warehouse.

  Further, when the warehouse is divided into a plurality of blocks, a block with a low occupancy rate can be preferentially selected as a storage place for the stored items.

  Further, according to the present invention, the contents can be carried out from the warehouse in conjunction with the progress situation.

It is the whole block diagram which showed the receipt / extraction part of the warehouse among the physical distribution in the assembly factory to which the automatic warehouse system which concerns on this invention was applied. It is a hardware block diagram of the computer which forms the automatic warehouse control apparatus 13 in this Embodiment. It is a block block diagram of the automatic warehouse system in this Embodiment. It is the figure which showed the data structural example of the order switching plan information in this Embodiment. It is the figure which showed the data structural example of the carrying-out plan information in this Embodiment. It is the figure which showed the data structural example of the skid information in this Embodiment. It is the figure which showed the priority allocated to each shelf contained in the block which comprises a warehouse in this Embodiment. It is the figure which showed the data structural example of the warehouse information in this Embodiment. It is the flowchart which showed the skid carrying-in process in this Embodiment. It is the flowchart which showed the skid carrying-out process in this Embodiment.

  Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the present embodiment, a case where the present invention is applied to a receiving side portion of an assembly line in a vehicle assembly factory will be described as an example.

  FIG. 1 is an overall configuration diagram showing a warehouse entry / exit part of logistics in an assembly factory to which an automatic warehouse system according to the present invention is applied.

  In FIG. 1, a truck 1 of a delivery company, a warehouse 2, a set lane 3 installed at an entrance of an assembly line, and a skid 4 unloaded from the truck 1 are used as a transport unit. The carry-in conveyor 5 serving as a carry-in means for carrying the skid 4 as it is to the carry-in entrance of the warehouse 2 without being taken out, and the skid 4 stored in the warehouse 2 are carried from the carry-out exit of the warehouse 2 to the set lane 3 as a conveyance unit. A carry-out conveyor 6 as carry-out means and a carriage 7 for carrying the skid 4 placed on the corresponding set lane 3 through a predetermined conveyance course to a predetermined process are shown.

  In the present embodiment, a skid corresponds to this contained material in which one or a plurality of parts are accommodated, and an automatic warehouse refers to the automatic entry / exit of items such as skids and products. A warehouse that can be used. In the present embodiment, the warehouse 2 is divided into a plurality of blocks A to D for operation. Each block is provided with a shelf 14 for storing the skid 4. One skid 4 is stored in one shelf 14. Each block is provided with a stack crane 8 as a transport means for transporting the skid 4 in the block of the warehouse 2. On the skid in the present embodiment, a part packed according to the skid packing specification or a pallet on which the part is placed is loaded. A skid information tag (not shown) is attached to the skid 4. Further, FIG. 1 shows a scanner 9 that acquires skid information by reading a skid information tag of the skid 4 unloaded from the truck 1, and skid information of the skid 4 that is unloaded from the warehouse 2 and transported to the set lane 3. A scanner 10 that acquires skid information by reading a tag is shown.

  The production management system 11 performs overall production management in the assembly plant. The on-site logistics support system 12 is a system that supports logistics in the assembly process. The automatic warehouse control device 13 forms the core of an automatic warehouse system including these components, and is linked to the production management system 11 and the on-site logistics support system 12, and also includes the carry-in conveyor 5, the carry-out conveyor 6, the stack crane 8, and While controlling the operation of the scanners 9 and 10, the warehouse 2 is controlled and managed.

  FIG. 2 is a hardware configuration diagram of a computer forming the automatic warehouse control apparatus 13 in the present embodiment. As shown in FIG. 2, the computer forming the automatic warehouse control device 13 in this embodiment includes a CPU 16, a ROM 17, a RAM 18, an HDD controller 20 connected to a hard disk drive (HDD) 19, and a mouse 21 provided as input means. And a keyboard 22, a display 23 provided as a display device, an input / output controller 24 for connecting the scanners 9 and 10 shown in FIG. 1, a network controller 25 provided as a communication means, and a carry-in side shown in FIG. A conveyor controller 26 that controls the operation of the conveyor 5 and the carry-out conveyor 6 and a crane controller 27 that controls the operation of the stack crane 8 are connected to an internal bus 28.

  Although there may be differences in performance, since the production management system 11 and the on-site logistics support system 12 are also computers, their hardware configurations are the same as in FIG. 2 except for the conveyor controller 26 and the crane controller 27. It can be illustrated as follows.

  FIG. 3 is a block configuration diagram of the automatic warehouse system in the present embodiment. FIG. 3 shows the production management system 11, the on-site logistics support system 12, and the automatic warehouse control device 13 shown in FIG.

  The production management system 11 includes a line-off signal receiving unit 31, a switching information transmission unit 32, and an order switching plan information storage unit 33. The line-off signal receiving unit 31 receives a line-off signal sent from the assembly line. The line-off signal is transmitted every time the vehicle is taken down from the assembly line. The switching information transmission unit 32 transmits the switching information to the automatic warehouse control device 13 in order to notify that vehicles of one order number have been dropped from the assembly line.

  FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a data configuration example of order switching plan information in the present embodiment. The order switching plan information includes an order number that identifies an order, the number of wheels that indicate the number of vehicles that are produced based on the order, and the number of line-offs that indicate the number of vehicles that have been lowered from the assembly line. In the present embodiment, it is determined by a combination of an 8-digit number string indicating the date on which the order number is ordered and a number string for identifying the order on that day. Therefore, the order switching plan information shown in FIG. 4 is ordered 4 times a day (July 7, 2009 in the example of FIG. 4), and the parts used for the assembly of 20 units are ordered in each order. This is an example of order switching plan information when a total of 80 units are produced on that day.

  The on-site physical distribution support system 12 includes an information providing unit 41 and a carry-out plan information storage unit 42. The information providing unit 41 provides the carry-out plan information by reading it from the carry-out plan information storage unit 42 and transmitting it to the automatic warehouse control device 13.

  FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a data configuration example of carry-out plan information in the present embodiment. The unloading plan information includes an order number for identifying an order, a transport course designating a passage through which the skid 4 is transported by the cart 7 on the assembly line, a transport cart number for identifying the cart 7 used for transporting the skid 4, and The skid 4 specified by the order number is configured in the unloading order indicating the order of unloading from the warehouse 2.

  The automatic warehouse control device 13 includes a carry-in skid information reading unit 51, a carry-in processing unit 52 having a block decision unit 71 and a carry-in shelf decision unit 72, a carry-in conveyor control unit 53, a stack crane control unit 54, and a warehouse information management unit 55. , A carry-out skid information reading unit 56, a set lane information management unit 57, an information acquisition unit 73, a switching information receiving unit 74, and a carry-out shelf specifying unit 75, and a carry-out conveyor control unit 59. . As storage means, a skid information storage unit 61, a warehouse information storage unit 62, a set lane information storage unit 63, and a carry-out plan information storage unit 64 are provided.

  The carry-in skid information reading unit 51 reads and acquires the skid information tag attached to the skid 4 which is delivered from the delivery company and conveyed by the carry-in conveyor 5 by the scanner 9. The carry-in processing unit 52 performs a process related to carry-in to the warehouse 2. The carry-in conveyor control unit 53 controls the operation of the carry-in conveyor 5. The stack crane control unit 54 controls the operation of the stack crane 8 disposed in each block. The warehouse information management unit 55 manages the usage status of the shelves in the warehouse 2 using the warehouse information storage unit 62. The carry-out skid information reading unit 56 reads and acquires the skid information tag attached to the skid 4 carried out from the warehouse 2 and conveyed by the carry-out conveyor 6 by the scanner 10. The set lane information management unit 57 manages the usage status of each set lane 3 using the set lane information storage unit 63. The carry-out processing unit 58 performs processing related to carry-out from the warehouse 2. The carry-out conveyor controller 59 controls the operation of the carry-out conveyor 6.

  FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a data configuration example of skid information stored in the skid information storage unit 61 according to the present embodiment.

  The skid information includes a skid number for identifying the skid, part information regarding the parts accommodated in the skid, an order number for identifying the order, and a transportation course that specifies a path through which the skid 4 is transported by the carriage 7 on the assembly line. And a transport carriage number for identifying the carriage 7 used for transporting the skid 4. The part information is composed of a receiving code for identifying a receiving destination, a supplier, that is, a supplier code for identifying a supplier who delivers the part, and a product number for identifying the part.

  Here, before explaining warehouse information, the structure of the warehouse 2 used in this Embodiment is demonstrated. FIG. 7 is a conceptual diagram of blocks in the warehouse 2 in the present embodiment. As described above, in this embodiment, the warehouse 2 is divided into a plurality of blocks A to D. FIG. 7 is a conceptual diagram when one of these blocks is viewed from the side, and is a diagram showing the priority assigned to each shelf included in the block. In this embodiment, shelves are constructed in four stages in each block. Further, 22 shelves 14 in a row were provided on each stage. This is merely an example, and the number of columns in each block, the number of shelves in each column, and the number of stages are not limited thereto. Further, it is not necessary for each block to have the same internal configuration, and the size of the shelf and the number of steps may be different from those of the other depending on the size of the skid. Further, the number of blocks to be divided is also an example, and further block division is not necessarily required.

  And in this Embodiment, as shown in FIG. 7, a priority is allocated to each shelf. Basically, the priority is assigned in order from the position close to the carry-out port in consideration of the convenience of carrying out the skid 4. For this reason, in this embodiment, priority is assigned to each shelf in accordance with a rule for assigning the next priority. First, the block is divided into a group close to the exit (group Y) and a non-existing group (group X), and the group close to the exit (group Y) is prioritized and used from the shelf 14 of group Y. It was made to be. That is, when the occupation ratio of the shelves 14 included in the group Y reaches 100%, the shelves 14 included in the group X are used. Note that the number of groups to be divided need not be limited to two groups as in this example. Second, each block is assigned a priority so that it is used from the lower level. Third, in each stage, a priority order is assigned so that it is used from a shelf close to the carry-out port. A priority is assigned to each shelf according to such a priority assignment rule. Note that this priority assignment rule is an example of a rule that assigns a higher priority in order from a position close to the carry-out port, and need not be limited to this.

  FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a data configuration example of warehouse information stored in the warehouse information storage unit 62 in the present embodiment. The warehouse information includes, for each block, the shelf number for identifying the shelf included in the block, the group number for identifying the group to which the shelf belongs, the priority order assigned to the shelf, the size of the shelf, and the position in the block. It consists of attribute information including information to be identified and the skid number of the skid stored in the shelf. The warehouse information other than the skid number is set in advance before the warehouse 2 is used.

  In this embodiment, five set lanes 1 to 5 are provided as an example, but the set lane information storage unit 63 stores the number of skids 4 that can be stored in the set lane for each set lane. Skid numbers are set so that the arrangement of the skids 4 can be seen. The unloading plan information storage unit 64 stores the same data as the unloading plan information storage unit 42.

  The line-off signal receiving unit 31 and the switching information transmitting unit 32 in the production management system 11, the information providing unit 41 in the local logistics support system 12 and the components 51 to 59 in the automatic warehouse control device 13 are mounted on each computer and the computer. This is realized by a cooperative operation with a program running on the CPU 16. The storage units 33, 42, 61 to 64 are realized by the HDD 19 or the RAM 18.

  Further, the program used in this embodiment can be provided not only by communication means but also by storing it in a computer-readable recording medium such as a CD-ROM or DVD-ROM. The program provided from the communication means or the recording medium is installed in the computer, and various processes are realized by the CPU of the computer sequentially executing the installation program.

  Next, the operation in this embodiment will be described. First, the carrying-in process of the skid 4 is demonstrated using the flowchart shown in FIG.

  When the skid 4 is lowered from the truck 1 and placed on the carry-in conveyor 5, the carry-in skid information reading unit 51 automatically uses the scanner 9 to attach the skid information tag attached to the skid 4 that has reached the reading position. And reading skid information (step 101). Then, the acquired skid information is registered in the skid information storage unit 61 (step 102). Subsequently, the carry-in processing unit 52 acquires the warehouse information stored in the warehouse information storage unit 62 from the warehouse information management unit 55, and the skid 4 whose skid information has been read by the block determination unit 71 as follows. The block of the warehouse 2 that is the destination of the delivery is determined (step 103).

  First, the block determination unit 71 calculates an occupation ratio for each block. The occupation rate can be calculated by dividing the number of skids 4 stored in the block by the number of shelves provided in the block. The number of skids 4 stored in the block is obtained by obtaining the total number of skid numbers set in the block of the warehouse information. When the block deciding unit 71 obtains the occupancy ratio in each block by the above calculation, the block deciding block having the minimum occupancy ratio is determined as the storage destination of the skid.

  When there are a plurality of blocks having the minimum value, the storage destination of the skid is determined by a determination method in which the skids 4 are allocated without bias in the plurality of blocks. For example, when the occupancy rate of two blocks is the smallest, it may be allocated to either by the odd number / even number of the order number. If the occupancy rate of 3 blocks is minimum, the order number value may be assigned to any one by the remainder when it is divided by 3. In this way, a block to which the skid 4 is allocated is determined according to some condition.

  When the block in which the skid 4 is to be stored is determined as described above, the carry-in processing unit 52 issues an instruction to the carry-in conveyor control unit 53 to drive the carry-in conveyor 5 so that the skid 4 is lowered from the track 1. Is carried before the determined block (step 104). Then, the carry-in processing unit 52 determines the shelf in which the skid 4 is to be stored in the block by the carry-in shelf determination unit 72 as follows (step 105). Note that steps 104 and 105 may be processed in parallel, or the shelf determination process may be executed first.

  First, the carry-in shelf determination unit 72 searches for a shelf in which the skid number of the block storing the skid 4 is blank in the warehouse information. The order in which the shelves are searched follows the priority order set in the warehouse information. According to the warehouse information setting example shown in FIG. 8, A6 is selected for block A, B4 is selected for block B, C2 is selected for block C, and D1 is selected for block D. become.

  When the shelf is determined as described above, the carry-in processing unit 52 issues an instruction to the stack crane control unit 54 to drive the stack crane 8 of the block and carry the skid 4 to the selected shelf 14. (Step 106).

  When the delivered skid 4 is stored in the shelf 14 as described above, the carry-in processing unit 52 passes through the warehouse information management unit 55 to store the shelf in the warehouse information stored in the warehouse information storage unit 62. The warehouse information is updated by setting the skid number of the skid in the skid number field corresponding to the number (step 107).

  According to the present embodiment, the delivered skids 4 are stored so that the number of stored skids 4 is equal in consideration of the occupation ratio of the blocks. Determine the block. And it is convenient at the time of carrying out the skid 4 by using it preferentially from the shelf 14 near the carry-out port of the warehouse 2, that is, the position where the carry-out can be carried out quickly because the distance from the stored shelf 14 to the carry-out port is short. The skid 4 is carried in so that the shelves can be used preferentially.

  Next, the carry-out process of the skid 4 will be described using the flowchart shown in FIG.

  First, at the start of operation of this system, the information providing unit 41 of the on-site logistics support system 12 provides the unloading plan information stored in the unloading plan information storage unit 42 by transmitting it to the automatic warehouse control device 13. When the information acquisition unit 73 in the unloading processing unit 58 of the automatic warehouse control device 13 receives the unloading plan information that has been sent, the information acquiring unit 73 stores it in the unloading plan information storage unit 64.

  In the production management system 11, the switching information transmission unit 32 reads out the order switching plan information from the order switching plan information storage unit 33 to acquire the number of line-offs corresponding to the order number on the working day.

  In the assembly line, every time the vehicle is lowered from the line, a line-off signal is transmitted to the production management system 11, and the line-off signal receiver 31 in the production management system 11 receives this line-off signal. At each reception, the switching information transmission unit 32 obtains the number of line-off units up to the current time on the working day by accumulating the number of received line-off signals, and obtains the number of line-off units obtained and the order switching plan information. Compare the number of line-off units set in. The number of line-offs in the order switching plan information used for comparison is used in order from the information in the first record. As a result of this comparison, the above process is repeated until the number of vehicles line-off from the assembly line reaches the planned line-off number.

  When the number of vehicles line-off from the assembly line reaches the planned line-off number, the switching information transmission unit 32 notifies the automatic warehouse control device 13 that it is time to switch the parts ordered by the order. Therefore, the switching information including the fact and the switched order number ("2009070701" at the beginning) is transmitted to the automatic warehouse control apparatus 13.

  When the switching information receiving unit 74 in the unloading processing unit 58 receives the switching information transmitted from the production management system 11 (step 201), the unloading processing unit 58 starts the next process using the switching information as the switching information. That is, the carry-out processing unit 58 carries out the corresponding skid 4 from the warehouse 2 with the reception of the switching instruction. For this purpose, the carry-out shelf specifying unit 75 in the carry-out processing unit 58 first reads out the carry-out plan information from the carry-out plan information storage unit 64 in order (step 202). In the case of the first reading, the carrying-out plan information whose carrying-out order is “1” is read out. According to the example of FIG. 5, “A” is set in the transport course of the read out plan information, and “1” is set in the transport cart number. By searching the skid information storage unit 61 using this item data as a key, the carry-out shelf specifying unit 75 specifies the skid information with the skid number “a” from the skid information storage unit 61 (step 203). The carry-out shelf specifying unit 75 then searches the warehouse information storage unit 62 via the warehouse information management unit 55 to specify the shelf in which the skid 4 with the skid number “a” is stored (step 204). .

  In this way, when the shelf 14 in which the skid 4 is stored can be specified, the carry-out processing unit 58 carries out the skid 4 from the shelf 14. In this case, it is determined whether the following conditions are satisfied. Check in advance.

  First, it is confirmed whether or not the skid 4 to be unloaded immediately before the skid 4 to be unloaded from the shelf 14 has been unloaded correctly to the set lane 3. In the present embodiment, the skid information of the skid 4 that is unloaded from the warehouse 2 and transported to the set lane 3 is read by the scanner 10. Therefore, it can be confirmed by referring to the carry-out plan information whether the skid 4 that can be specified from the read skid information is actually the skid 4 that should be carried out immediately before.

  Secondly, it is confirmed whether or not an empty space in which the skid 4 to be carried out from the warehouse 2 is set exists in the set lane 3. For example, the skid 4 with the skid number “a” is transported by the cart 1 because the transport cart number of the skid information is “1”, so that it is transported to the set lane 1 corresponding to the cart 1. become. Accordingly, the carry-out processing unit 58 can confirm the empty state of the set lane 1 by making an inquiry to the set lane information management unit 57.

  Thus, when the above two conditions are satisfied (Y in Step 205), the carry-out processing unit 58 drives the stack crane 8 of the block to be selected by giving an instruction to the stack crane control unit 54. The skid 4 is taken out from the shelf 14 and carried to the carry-out side conveyor 6 (step 206). Subsequently, the carry-out processing unit 58 issues an instruction to the carry-out conveyor control unit 59 to drive the carry-out side conveyor 6 and convey the skid 4 carried out from the warehouse 2 to the corresponding set lane 3 (step 207). ). At this time, the skid information of the skid 4 is read by the scanner 10.

  As described above, when the skid 4 is unloaded from the shelf 14, the unloading processing unit 58 corresponds to the shelf number in the warehouse information stored in the warehouse information storage unit 62 via the warehouse information management unit 55. The warehouse information is updated by deleting the skid number from the field of the skid number to be executed (step 208). The set lane information management unit 57 registers the skid number of the skid 4 in the set lane information corresponding to the set lane 3 when the skid 4 is transported to the set lane 3. The set lane information stored in the storage unit 63 is updated (step 209).

  Note that when the skid 4 transported to the set lane 3 is transferred from the set lane 3 to the carriage 7 and unloaded, the set lane information management unit 57 stores the set lane 3 stored in the set lane information storage unit 63. The skid number of the carried skid 4 is deleted from the set lane information corresponding to.

  According to the setting example of the order switching plan information, steps 202 to 209 are repeatedly executed in response to the reception of the switching information in step 201, whereby the order number “1” to “20” in which the order of delivery is set “ 20 skids “a”, “b”,... 20090707701 ”are unloaded from the warehouse 2. In this way, the carry-out process relating to the order number “2009070701” ends (Y in step 210).

  Subsequently, the production management system 11 transmits the switching information when the cumulative number of line-off units reaches 40 in accordance with the setting of the order switching plan information, and the automatic warehouse control device 13 receives the order number “2009070702” 20 The individual skids will be carried out from the warehouse 2.

  According to the present embodiment, the carry-out process can be automatically executed in conjunction with the order switching timing as described above.

  The carry-in process and the carry-out process described above can be performed in parallel. However, since the stack crane 8 is used in common for carrying in the warehouse 2 and carrying it out from the warehouse 2, it operates for either one of the processes. Of course, the stack crane 8 may be prepared for loading and unloading in each block. However, it is necessary to exclusively update the use status of the shelf 14 in the warehouse information (writing the skid number (step 107) and erasing (step 208)) in the carry-in process and the carry-out process.

  In the present embodiment, the case where the present invention is applied to the receiving side portion of the assembly line in the vehicle assembly factory has been described as an example. However, the present invention may be applied to other places.

  1 truck, 2 warehouses, 3 set lanes, 4 skids, 5 carry-in conveyors, 6 carry-out conveyors, 7 carts, 8 stack cranes, 9, 10 scanners, 11 production management system, 12 on-site logistics support system, 13 automatic warehouse control Device, 14 shelves, 16 CPU, 17 ROM, 18 RAM, 19 Hard disk drive (HDD), 20 HDD controller, 21 Mouse, 22 Keyboard, 23 Display, 24 Input / output controller, 26 Conveyor controller, 27 Crane controller, 25 Network controller , 28 Internal bus, 31 Line-off signal receiving unit, 32 Switching information transmitting unit, 33 Order switching plan information storage unit, 41 Information providing unit, 42 Unloading plan information storage unit, 51 Loading side skid information reading unit, 52 Entry processing unit, 53 carry-in conveyor control unit, 54 stack crane control unit, 55 warehouse information management unit, 56 carry-out side skid information reading unit, 57 set lane information management unit, 58 carry-out processing unit, 59 carry-out conveyor control unit, 61 skid Information storage unit, 62 Warehouse information storage unit, 63 Set lane information storage unit, 64 Unloading plan information storage unit, 71 Block determination unit, 72 Loading shelf determination unit, 73 Information acquisition unit, 74 Switching information receiving unit, 75 Unloading shelf identification Department.

Claims (6)

The use of shelves that are installed in a warehouse and store the storage of one or more parts that have been carried in, and that are assigned a priority for storing the storage from a position close to the exit Warehouse management means to manage,
A carry-in control means for carrying the contained items carried into the carry-in means to the carry-in entrance of the warehouse as a transport unit;
A storage location determination means for determining a shelf as a storage location for the stored items that have been transported to the carry-in entrance of the warehouse with reference to the usage status of the shelf and the priority assigned to each shelf;
Transport control means for transporting the transported material to the carry-in entrance of the stored material storage means to the shelf determined as the storage location by the storage location determining means;
A storage control device for an automatic warehouse characterized by comprising: In the storage control apparatus to the automatic warehouse according to claim 1,
The storage location determination means, when the warehouse is divided into a plurality of blocks, determines a shelf for storing the stored items from among the lowest usage blocks, storage control to the automatic warehouse apparatus. In the storage control apparatus to the automatic warehouse according to claim 2,
It has storage information acquisition means for acquiring storage information regarding the storage material conveyed by the carry-in means,
When there are a plurality of blocks with the lowest usage status, the storage location determination means refers to the information unique to the storage set in the storage information, and stores the storage of the storage from the plurality of blocks. A storage control device for an automatic warehouse, characterized by determining. A warehouse management means for managing a use situation of a shelf that is installed in a warehouse and that stores therein one or a plurality of parts;
Unloading plan information acquisition means for acquiring unloading plan information of the stored items from the warehouse;
Receiving means for receiving switching information transmitted from the production process using the parts according to the progress of production;
A specifying means for specifying the items to be unloaded from the warehouse with reference to the unloading plan information at the reception timing of the switching information;
A transport control means for transporting the contents specified by the specifying means to a transport means from a shelf in which the contents are stored to an outlet of the warehouse;
Unloading control means for unloading the contents that have been transported to the unloading means to the unloading port of the warehouse until the production process;
A delivery control device from an automatic warehouse characterized by comprising: In the outgoing control device from the automatic warehouse according to claim 4,
There is a stored information acquisition means for acquiring stored information related to stored items that have been transported to the unloading port of the warehouse,
The transportation control means, when a plurality of lines are formed in the production process, to carry out the stored items to the input port of the line specified from the stored item information acquired by the stored item information acquiring unit. Outlet control device from automatic warehouse as a feature. A shelf in which stored items containing one or more parts that have been carried in are stored, and a shelf provided with a shelf assigned a priority for storing stored items from a position close to the carry-out port;
Carrying-in means for transporting the contained items as transport units to the warehouse entrance;
A transporting means for transporting the contents in the warehouse;
Unloading means for transporting the contents from the unloading port of the warehouse to a production process using the parts;
Warehouse management means for managing the usage status of the warehouse shelves;
A storage location determination means for determining a shelf as a storage location for the stored items that have been transported to the carry-in entrance of the warehouse with reference to the usage status of the shelf and the priority assigned to each shelf;
Unloading plan information acquisition means for acquiring unloading plan information of the stored items from the warehouse;
Receiving means for receiving switching information transmitted from the production process according to the production progress situation;
A specifying means for specifying the items to be unloaded from the warehouse with reference to the unloading plan information at the reception timing of the switching information;
The transporting means transports the transported material to the carry-in entrance of the stored material storing means to the shelf determined as the storage location by the storage location determining means, and stores the storage specified by the specifying means. Transport control means for transporting from the shelf where the goods are stored to the unloading port of the warehouse;
A carry-out control means for carrying the contents carried to the carry-out port of the warehouse to the carry-out means to the production process;
An automatic warehouse system characterized by comprising:

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