JP2014091608A - Article processing facility - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an article processing facility capable of performing an article processing work in the state where mistake hardly occurs on the kind of an article and the quantity of the article designated by article processing information, and in the state where decline of a processing capacity of the facility is suppressed.SOLUTION: An article processing facility has a constitution in which an imaging device capable of imaging a photographic image by making an article processing part as an imaging object region is provided, and a control part calculates the kind and the quantity of an article processed by the article processing part based on the photographic image of the imaging object region imaged by the imaging device, and determines whether or not an article processing work is executed to the article having the kind and the quantity designated by article processing information, based on the calculated kind and quantity of the article.

Description

  The present invention relates to an article processing unit that is a target for performing an article processing operation in which a work subject processes an article based on article processing information generated in a form that specifies the type of article and the quantity of the article, and the article processing operation includes: The present invention relates to an article processing facility provided with a control unit that determines whether or not the process has been appropriately performed based on the article processing information.

  As an example of such an article processing facility, based on picking order information as article processing information in which the type and quantity of an article are associated with each other, set in correspondence with the picking order information from a supply container that accommodates a plurality of articles There is a picking facility that performs a picking operation as an article processing operation for collecting articles in the collected collection container. In such a picking facility, in order to check whether or not an article has been picked according to the picking order information, after performing a picking operation on the group of picking order information, the picking order information is collected. It has been confirmed whether the total number for each type of article to be sold is equal to the reduced quantity for each type of article calculated from the remaining inventory.

  However, in such a method, the type of the article corresponding to the group of picking order information and the quantity of the article for each type, the type of the article calculated from the remaining inventory, and the reduced quantity of the article for each type If there is a difference, it can be seen that there was an error in the quantity of articles picked in any of a plurality of picking operations corresponding to the group of picking order information, but a plurality corresponding to the group of picking order information. Since it is not known which of the picking work of which picking order information corresponds to the picking order information, it is necessary to redo all picking work corresponding to the group of picking order information. Invited to increase.

  For this reason, in order to determine whether or not the picking work corresponding to the individual picking order information has been appropriately performed based on the picking order information, it is calculated from the quantity for each type of article specified by the picking order information. Compare the information on the total weight of the goods to be picked up and the weight information obtained by measuring the total weight of the picked goods based on the picking order information, and if the comparison results are equal, it is determined that the goods have been picked according to the picking order information. If the comparison results are not equal, there has been proposed one that executes a weight inspection process for determining that the article has not been picked according to the picking order information (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

JP 2011-219277 A

  According to the weight inspection process as described in Patent Document 1, when picking articles having different weights for each type, the type of articles taken out from the supply container and the number of articles, or the collected containers The type of article and the number of articles can be calculated each time processing for one picking order information is completed, and as a result, the type specified in the picking order information and the quantity of articles for each type are appropriately selected. Whether or not the picking operation has been performed can be determined every time processing for one picking order information is completed.

  However, as shown in FIG. 10, for example, there are articles that have the same weight even if they are of different types (for example, drinking water filled in a paper pack or PET bottle has the same content). If there is an accidental picking of an article with the same weight but a different type, the picked-up information is picked up with the weight information obtained by measuring the total weight of the article specified in the picking order information. Even if the weight information obtained by measuring the weight of the article is compared, it may be determined that the picking work has been performed according to the picking order information.

  In this way, if it is determined that the picking work has been performed according to the picking order information despite the fact that the goods have been mistakenly collected in the picking work, an erroneous shipment to the customer may occur, There may be a difference between the actual inventory quantity and the actual inventory quantity, which may cause a backward man-hour such as re-inspecting the completed picking operation, leading to a reduction in processing capacity of the equipment.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and its purpose is to reduce the processing capacity of equipment in a state in which errors are unlikely to occur with respect to the type and quantity of articles specified in the article processing information. An object of the present invention is to provide an article processing facility capable of performing an article processing operation in a suppressed state.

A first characteristic configuration of an article processing facility according to the present invention for solving the above-described problem is an article in which a work subject processes an article based on article processing information generated in a form for specifying the type of article and the quantity of the article. An article processing facility provided with an article processing unit to be processed and a control unit that determines whether or not the article processing operation has been appropriately performed based on the article processing information,
An imaging device capable of capturing the article processing unit is provided, and the control unit determines a type of an article processed by the article processing unit based on an image of the article processing unit captured by the imaging device. In addition, the quantity of articles for each type is calculated, and based on the calculated article type and the quantity of articles for each type, the article processing work is performed on the articles of the type and quantity specified in the article processing information. It is in the point comprised so that it may determine whether it was performed with respect to it.

That is, since an image of the article processing unit is captured by the imaging device, and based on the image, the type of the article processed by the article processing unit can be determined and the number of articles for each type can be calculated. By determining whether the determined article type and the calculated quantity of articles correspond to the article type and the quantity of articles specified in the article processing information, the article processing work is performed on the article processing information. It is possible to quickly determine whether or not the process has been executed for the article of the type and quantity specified in the above item each time the process corresponding to the article process information is performed.
As the article processing work, for example, in the collection work of taking out the articles of the type and quantity specified in the picking order as the article processing information from the supply container and putting them into the collection container, An operation of taking a predetermined quantity of parts of a predetermined type for assembling can be considered.

  As described above, according to the first characteristic configuration, the article processing work is performed in a state in which an error is hardly caused with respect to the type of the article and the quantity of the article instructed in the article processing information and the deterioration of the processing capacity of the facility is suppressed. An article processing facility that can be provided can be provided.

  According to a second characteristic configuration of the article processing facility according to the present invention, in addition to the first characteristic configuration, the pre-operation image and the article in which the control unit is an image of the article processing unit before execution of the article processing operation. Comparing the post-operation image that is an image of the article processing unit after execution of the processing work, determining the type of the article whose quantity has changed, and executing a difference detection process for calculating the change quantity of the article, Based on the calculation result of the difference detection process, it is configured to determine whether or not the article processing work has been performed on an article of the type and quantity specified in the article processing information. is there.

  That is, an article in the article processing unit is compared by comparing a pre-work image that is an image of the article processing unit before execution of the article processing work with a post-work image that is an image of the article processing unit after execution of the article processing work. It is possible to appropriately detect a change in the article resulting from the processing operation. Then, by determining the type of the article that has changed between the pre-work image and the post-work image, and calculating the change quantity of the article for each type, the article processing work is as specified in the article processing information. It is possible to determine whether or not the process has been executed for an article of the type and quantity.

  Thus, according to the second feature configuration, a preferred embodiment of the first feature configuration can be provided.

  According to a third feature configuration of the article processing facility according to the present invention, in addition to the second feature configuration, the control unit is configured to use the article processing unit based on an image of the article processing unit captured by the imaging device. It is configured to be able to detect the active state where the work subject or the article is moving and the non-operating state where no movement is occurring, and when the active state is detected, the active state is detected. An image of the article processing unit in the non-operating state captured immediately before the image is used as the pre-work image, and the article in the non-operating state is imaged immediately after transition from the active state to the non-operating state. The image of the processing unit is configured to be the post-work image.

  In other words, when the active state in which the movement of the work subject or the article is detected is detected, it can be considered that the movement of the work subject or the article is caused by the article processing work. Therefore, when the active state is detected, immediately after the image of the article processing unit in the non-operating state captured immediately before detecting the active state is used as the pre-work image, immediately after the transition from the active state to the non-operating state. If the image of the article processing unit in the non-operating state captured in the above is used as the post-work image, it is possible to obtain the pre-work image and the post-work image at an appropriate timing. Can be detected appropriately.

  As described above, according to the third feature configuration, in addition to the operational effects of the second feature configuration, it is possible to provide an article processing facility that can acquire the pre-work image and the post-work image at an appropriate timing.

  According to a fourth feature configuration of the article processing facility according to the present invention, in addition to the third feature configuration, the article processing unit imaged in the active state when the control unit detects the active state. Based on the region corresponding to the movement occurring in the article processing unit in the image of the image, a partial region of the image of the article processing unit is set as a comparison target region, and the difference detection is performed only for the comparison target region. It is in the point comprised so that a process may be performed.

  In other words, when the active state is detected, it can be considered that the active state is due to the article processing work. It can be considered that this is an area where an article has been processed by the article processing operation. On the other hand, the region where no movement of the work subject or the article occurs in the image of the article processing unit is an area where the article is not processed by the article processing work, and thus the article is processed by the article processing work. It is not necessary to perform the difference detection process on the undisclosed area.

Accordingly, based on the region corresponding to the movement occurring in the article processing unit in the image of the article processing unit captured in the active state, a partial region of the article processing unit image is set as a comparison target region. If the difference detection process is executed only for the comparison target area, the time required for the difference detection process is shorter than the difference detection process for all areas of the image of the article processing unit. The processing capacity of the processing facility can be improved.
Thus, according to the fourth feature configuration, in addition to the operational effects of the third feature configuration, it is possible to provide an article processing facility capable of improving the processing capability of the article processing facility.

  According to a fifth feature configuration of the article processing facility according to the present invention, in addition to any one of the first to fourth feature configurations, the control unit is configured to use the article based on an image captured by the imaging device. The three-dimensional shape of the article located in the processing unit is configured to be freely recognized.

That is, since the three-dimensional shape of the article located in the article processing unit can be recognized, the article processed by the article processing unit can be appropriately determined based on the three-dimensional shape of the article. In addition, even when an article is processed in an overlapping state as viewed from the imaging device, it is possible to identify how many articles there are.
As described above, according to the fifth feature configuration, in addition to the operational effects of any of the first to fourth feature configurations, it is possible to appropriately determine the type or quantity of the article processed by the article processing unit. it can.

  According to a sixth feature configuration of the article processing facility according to the present invention, in addition to any one of the first to fifth feature configurations, the article processing operation includes the article processing information from a supply container containing at least a plurality of articles. The article processing section includes at least an article storage area in the supply container.

  That is, when performing an extraction operation for extracting an article of the type and quantity specified in the article processing information from a supply container containing at least a plurality of articles, the type of article and quantity of articles taken out from the supply container are It is possible to determine whether or not the information is as specified in the information, that is, for example, whether or not the picking-up work is properly performed. For this reason, for each take-out operation from the supply container corresponding to one article processing information, the article taken out from the article storage area in the supply container in the take-out operation is the type and the article specified by the article process information. It is possible to determine whether or not the quantity is in accordance with the quantity, and there is no error with respect to the article type and article quantity specified in the article processing information, and a state in which the deterioration of the processing capacity of the equipment is suppressed. It will be possible to carry out the extraction work.

  According to a seventh feature configuration of the article processing facility according to the present invention, in addition to any one of the first to fifth feature configurations, the article processing operation includes an article of a type and a quantity specified by the article processing information. This is a collection operation to be put into a collection container corresponding to the article processing information, and the article processing section includes at least an article storage area in the collection container.

  In other words, when performing a collection operation in which an article of the type and quantity specified in the article processing information is put into a collection container corresponding to the article processing information, the type of article and the quantity of articles put into the collection container Is as specified in the article processing information, that is, for example, whether or not the collection work in the picking work has been appropriately performed. For this reason, for each collection operation to the collection container corresponding to one article processing information, the article input into the article storage area in the collection container by the collection operation is specified by the article processing information. It is possible to discriminate whether or not it is in accordance with the type of goods and quantity of goods, and there is no error regarding the kind of goods and quantity of goods commanded in the goods processing information, and the processing capacity of the equipment is reduced. As a result, the collection work can be performed in a state where the above is suppressed.

  In an eighth feature configuration of the article processing facility according to the present invention, in addition to the sixth feature configuration, the article processing operation corresponds to the article processing information corresponding to the article of the type and quantity specified in the article processing information. A collection operation to be put into a collection container, wherein the article processing unit includes at least an article storage area in the collection container, and the control unit includes a type and a quantity of the article taken out in the extraction operation, and The point is that it is configured to execute a coincidence determination process for determining whether or not the type and quantity of the articles taken out in the collection work coincide with each other.

That is, it is possible to determine whether or not the type and quantity of articles taken out from the supply container match the type and quantity of articles placed in the collection container.
Therefore, for example, even when the article taken out by the taking-out operation spills out without being put into the collection container, it is possible to appropriately detect the occurrence of such a situation. For this reason, there is provided an article processing facility capable of performing an article processing operation in a state in which no error occurs with respect to the type and quantity of the article commanded by the article processing information and in a state in which a decrease in processing efficiency is suppressed. Can be provided.

Side view of picking equipment with article processing equipment Perspective view showing the supply case Diagram showing a digital picking indicator Control block diagram Flow chart showing control Flow chart showing control Flow chart showing control Flow chart showing control Plan view showing a state where picking work is being executed The figure which shows the area | region corresponding to a motion in the image which the camera imaged Diagram showing the set comparison target area The figure which shows the example of the goods where weight differs and the kind differs

(Picking equipment)
Hereinafter, a picking facility including an article processing facility according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
As shown in FIG. 1, the picking facility has a work as a work subject based on a plurality of article processing information (hereinafter referred to as picking order information) generated in a form in which the type of article and the quantity of the article are designated. A plurality of picking work locations 40S where the person M performs a picking work as an article processing work are provided. Then, in the picking work location 40S, as the picking work, the work specified by picking order information is taken out from the supply case 12 containing a plurality of goods and put into the collecting case 11 corresponding to the picking order information. It is performed once or a plurality of times for picking order information.
In the present embodiment, the collection case 11 corresponds to a collection container, and the supply case 12 corresponds to a supply container.

  Each of the plurality of picking work locations 40S is provided with a collection case mounting table 43 having a mounting surface 43h on which the collection case 11 is mounted. A collection conveyor 45 is provided. The collection conveyor 45 is provided adjacent to the lateral side portion of the collection case mounting table 43, and after the empty collection case 11 is supplied to the collection case mounting table 43 and the picked article is input. The collection case 11 is transported to the collection location.

Specifically, when the empty collection case 11 conveyed from the upstream side in the conveyance direction reaches a position corresponding to the collection case mounting table 43, the collection conveyor 45 is moved by the lateral feed mechanism (not shown). The collection case 11 is configured to be placed on the placement surface 43 h of the collection case placement table 43.
When the loading of the articles into the collection case 11 is completed by the picking work by the worker M, the worker M removes the collection case 11 from the placement surface 43h of the collection case placing table 43. The collection case 11 is conveyed to a collection location (not shown) located downstream of the collection conveyor 45 in the conveyance direction.

  The collection case 11 is configured in a box shape with an upper end opened, and an RFID tag 11t that records an ID unique to the collection case 11 is attached to a predetermined position on the outer peripheral surface. An RFID tag reader 45r that reads the ID of the RFID tag 11t attached to the collection case 11 is provided at a location corresponding to the picking work location 40S on the collection conveyor 45.

  On the opposite side of the collection case mounting table 43 from the side where the collection conveyor 45 is present, there is a fluidized shelf 40 capable of supplying the supply case 12 to the picking work location 40S in a form separated from the collection case mounting table 43. Is provided. The flow shelf 40 is configured to accommodate a plurality of supply cases 12 corresponding to a plurality of types of articles in a form in which a plurality of the same type of articles are accommodated in the same supply case 12.

As shown in FIG. 1, the fluid shelf 40 includes upper and lower two-stage fluid shelves 41, and the fluid shelf 41 is arranged in the left-right direction with respect to one picking work location 40S as shown in FIG. Three rows are provided.
Note that the number of upper and lower stages and the number of columns on the left and right of the fluid shelf 41 of the fluid shelf 40 provided for one picking work location 40S are not limited to the above-described number of stages and columns.

  Each of the fluid shelf boards 41 is provided in parallel with each other in a posture along the approaching / separating direction with respect to the collection case mounting table 43 in a plan view, and an end portion on the side close to the collection case mounting table 43 is in the vertical direction. It is inclined and arranged so that it becomes a low position. The fluidized shelf plate 41 is provided with a plurality of free rotating rollers that are rotatable around an axis along a direction orthogonal to the approaching / separating direction with respect to the collection case mounting table 43 in a plan view. Accordingly, the supply case 12 placed on the flow shelf 41 is fluidly conveyed by its own weight from the end portion on the side away from the collection case placement table 43 to the end portion on the side close to the collection case placement table 43. Is done.

  A length corresponding to one of the supply cases 12 in the portion closest to the collection case mounting table 43 of the flow shelf plate 41 is configured to be the end mounting portion 41p, and the end mounting portion 41p A stopper for receiving the supply case 12 to be placed and supported is provided at the end of the collection case placement table 43 side. The end placement portion 41p is formed to have a larger inclination angle than the other portions of the flow shelf 41 so that the inside of the supply case 12 can be easily seen from the worker who performs the picking operation. An intermediate stopper (not shown) that receives the supply case 12 that is fluidly conveyed is provided between the fluid shelf 41 and the end placement part 41p. Accordingly, the supply case 12 (referred to as the frontmost supply case 12) placed on the end placement part 41p is adjacent to the side farther from the collection conveyor 45 than the frontmost supply case 12 is. It is placed and supported by the end placement portion 41p in a state of being separated from the case 12.

Only one supply case 12 is placed on one end placement portion 41p, but when the supply case 12 is removed, such as being empty, the intermediate stopper is opened and the supply case in the front row is opened. The supply case 12 adjacent to the side farther from the collection conveyor 45 than 12 is fluidly conveyed to form the supply case 12 in the front row.
Note that the plurality of supply cases 12 supplied in a row by one fluid shelf 41 correspond to the same type of articles. That is, the supply case 12 of the same type of article is always supplied to one end placement portion 41p.

  A travel path of the stacker crane 5 is provided on the side of the flow shelf 41 that is separated from the collection case mounting table 43. The stacker crane 5 is configured to be able to transfer the supply case 12 taken out from a warehouse section (not shown) to the end of the fluidized shelf plate 41 on the side away from the collection case mounting table 43.

  The supply case 12 is formed in a box shape having an upper end opened, and an RFID tag 12t that records an ID unique to the supply case 12 is attached to a predetermined position on the outer peripheral surface. Further, an RFID tag reader 41r that reads the ID of the RFID tag 12t attached to the supply case 12 is provided in the vicinity of the end placement portion 41p.

As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, each of the end placement portions 41 p of the flow shelf 40 has a supply case 12 placed and supported on the corresponding end placement portion 41 p based on the picking order information. There is provided a digital picking display 31 provided with a supply side display unit 31D for indicating to the worker how many articles should be picked and an input button 31B for allowing the operator to input information notifying completion of picking. It is attached.
Further, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, corresponding to each of the end placement portions 41p of the fluid shelf 40, a supply-side camera 30a (camera) that can image the inside of each of the supply cases 12 in the front row from above. 30) is attached.

As shown in FIG. 1, on the upper part of the collection case mounting table 43, a collection side display unit 32D for displaying information from a control unit H (see FIG. 4) to be described later, and picking completion by an operator are input. A digital picking display 32 provided with an input button 32B is attached.
Further, a collection-side camera 30 a (an example of the camera 30) that can image the inside of the collection case 11 is attached above the placement surface 43 h of the collection case mounting table 43.
That is, in the present embodiment, each of the collection case 11 placed and supported on the collection case placement table 43 and the plurality of frontmost supply cases 12 (hereinafter referred to as picking target supply cases) are articles. Corresponding to the processing unit, a camera 30 is provided that can image an article storage area in the collection case 11 or the picking target supply case.

(Control part)
As illustrated in FIG. 4, the control unit H is configured by a computer including a CPU and a storage device, for example. The control unit H is configured to be able to execute a program module loaded on the CPU, and is configured to be able to execute a plurality of program modules.
The control unit H is connected to a host management device K as a management unit that manages picking order information. The host management device K is a database that manages picking order information created in association with the sorting destination in a form that determines the type and quantity of articles to be collected based on orders from the sorting destination, and each It is configured to include a scheduler or the like that manages the timing or sequence of picking order information.

  The control unit H is connected to a camera 30 (a plurality of supply-side cameras 30a and a plurality of collection-side cameras 30a). The control unit H is configured to be able to capture image data captured by the plurality of supply side cameras 30a and the plurality of collection side cameras 30a. Each of the plurality of supply-side cameras 30a and the plurality of collection-side cameras 30a has a moving image (as shown in FIG. 10, a plurality of time-series images (referred to as image frames) arranged at time intervals). The controller H is configured to capture the moving image as data.

Furthermore, the supply case sensor 40r, the RFID tag reader 41r, and the RFID tag reader 45r are electrically connected to the control unit H.
When the ID information recorded on the RFID tag 12t is read by the RFID tag reader 41r, the ID information read by the RFID tag reader 41r and information for identifying the RFID tag reader 41r that has read the ID information are transmitted to the control unit H. The Thereby, the control part H can recognize which supply case 12 of which ID information exists in the position of which RFID tag reader 41r.
When the ID information recorded on the RFID tag 11t is read by the RFID tag reader 45r, the ID information read by the RFID tag reader 45r and information for identifying the RFID tag reader 45r that has read the ID information are sent to the control unit H. Sent. As a result, the control unit H can recognize which ID information supply case 12 has arrived at which position of the RFID tag reader 45r of the collection conveyor 45.
The supply case sensor 40r is composed of, for example, an infrared sensor, and is configured to be able to detect that the number of supply cases 12 on the flow shelf 41 has decreased from a predetermined number.

The control unit H is configured to control the collection conveyor 45 via a conveyor controller (not shown) and to control the stacker crane 5 via a crane controller (not shown).
Then, as described above, the supply case sensor 40r detects that the supply case 12 that has been emptied is removed from the end placement portion 41p and the supply case 12 staying in the fluidized shelf plate 41 is reduced. Then, the control unit H instructs the crane controller that controls the operation of the stacker crane 5 to replenish, and transfers the supply case 12 to the end of the fluidized shelf plate 41 on the side away from the collection case mounting table 43. Thus, the stacker crane 5 is operated (corresponding to the replenishment process (step # 12) in FIG. 5).

Digital picking indicators 31 and 32 are connected to the control unit H. Based on the picking order information from the higher-level management device K, the control unit H of the digital picking indicator 31 corresponding to the end placement unit 41p corresponding to the type of article to be picked corresponding to the picking order information. The supply side display unit 31D is configured to instruct a display command for displaying how many articles should be taken out from the supply case 12 placed and supported on the end placement unit 41p.
The supply side display unit 31D of the digital picking display 31 or the collection side display unit 32D of the digital picking display 32 displays information from the control unit H, for example, a message character string such as “ERR” indicating an error. It is configured freely.

Further, the ON information of the input button 31B or 32B in the digital picking indicators 31 and 32 is configured to be freely input to the control unit H.
When the input button 31B of the digital picking display 31 provided on the end placement unit 41p side is pressed, the control unit H has completed taking out the quantity of articles displayed on the supply side display unit 31D. When the input button 32B of the digital picking display 32 provided on the collection case mounting table 43 side is pressed, the control unit H collects all articles corresponding to the picking order information. Is now recognized as completed.

  As the program module executed by the control unit H, the type of the increased / decreased article is determined based on at least the images of the article processing unit captured by the plurality of supply side cameras 30a and the plurality of collection side cameras 30a. And the picking result determination program for calculating the quantity of the articles, the increase / decrease quantity and type of the articles determined by the picking result determination program, and the type and quantity of the articles specified by the picking order information. A suitability determination program for determining suitability is installed.

  Specifically, the difference detection program performs pattern matching processing on an image captured by the supply-side camera 30a or the collection-side camera 30a with a pattern in a database that records all types of features of the supplied articles. To do. Although the detailed description of the specific contents of the pattern matching process is omitted, the type of article included in the captured image is determined by comparing the captured image with the template image. The supply-side camera 30a or the collection-side camera 30b is provided with two lenses, and the control unit H uses the phase difference between the images captured by the respective lenses to determine the articles located in the supply case 12 or the collection case 11. The three-dimensional shape can be recognized.

  In FIG. 4, the control unit H includes a picking result determination unit H1 by mounting a picking result determination program, and includes a suitability determination unit H2 by mounting the suitability determination program.

(Content of control)
Next, the control executed by the control unit H will be described based on the flowcharts of FIGS.
As shown in the flowchart of FIG. 5, the control unit H detects information indicating that the number of supply cases 12 detected by the supply case sensor 40r has decreased from a predetermined number as a replenishment request. If it is determined that there is a replenishment request (step # 11: Yes), the above-described replenishment process (step # 12) is executed. Further, the state in which the control unit H detects that there is a replenishment request is a result of the supply case 12 forming the row being flown and conveyed by removing the supply case 12 in the front row, so that the supply case 12 in the front row is This means that the supply case 12 that has been emptied has changed to a new supply case 12. Accordingly, a replenishment inspection process for determining whether or not the articles accommodated in the supply case 12 that has newly become the supply case 12 in the front row should be supplied by the flow shelf 41 (step # 13). Execute. Details of the replenishment inspection process will be described later.

  When it is determined in step # 11 that there is no replenishment request, or when the replenishment inspection process is completed, the control unit H determines whether or not the collection case 11 has reached the picking work location 40S (step # 14). ). Specifically, the ID information of the RFID tag 11 t of the collection case 11 conveyed on the collection conveyor 45 is read by the RFID tag reader 45 r and transmitted to the control unit H. When the control unit H determines that the collection case 11 of the ID information is the collection case 11 to be picked at the picking work location 40S, the control unit H instructs the transverse feed mechanism provided in the collection conveyor 45, The collection case 11 is moved from the collection conveyor 45 to the collection case mounting table. Thereafter, a picking process (step # 15, details will be described later) is executed.

  The replenishment inspection process will be described based on the flowchart of FIG. When the control unit H receives the information on the unique ID recorded in the RFID tag 12t of the supply case 12 read by the RFID tag reader 41r (Step # 131), the supply case 12 determines that the RFID has the RFID. It is determined whether or not it corresponds to the article to be supplied by the flow shelf 41 provided with the tag reader 41r (step # 132). If it is determined Yes in step # 132, the supply side camera 30a subsequently acquires an image in the supply case 12 (step # 133), and performs the above-described pattern matching process on the acquired image (step # 133). In step # 134, the type of the article accommodated in the supply case 12 is determined (step # 135). Subsequently, whether the type of the article to be replenished and the type of the article specified in the pattern matching process are the same. Is discriminated (step # 136).

When it is determined No in Step # 132 or Step # 136, the control unit H displays an error on the supply side display unit 31D of the digital picking display 31. When the worker M removes the supply case 12, the supply case 12 that is adjacent to the back side as viewed from the picking work location is fluidly conveyed on the fluid shelf 41 and placed and supported by the end placement portion 41p. . As a result, the RFID tag reader 41r reads the unique ID recorded on the RFID tag 12t of the supply case 12 newly placed and supported on the end placement portion 41p, and the process returns to step # 131.
On the other hand, if it is determined Yes in step # 136, the routine returns to the routine that called the supplementary inspection process through the supplementary inspection process routine.

The difference detection process will be described based on the flowchart of FIG. The controller H sequentially acquires time-series image frames as moving images with the camera 30 as shown in FIG. 10, and stores them in the storage area (step # 21). Acquisition of image frames is continuously performed, and unnecessary image frames are deleted from the storage area in order from a certain time.
Subsequently, the control unit H determines whether the worker M or the article has moved in the article processing unit based on the image of the article processing unit captured by the camera 30 (whether it is in an active state or a non-operating state). (Step # 22). If there is no movement (step # 22: No), the routine exits the difference detection process and returns to the routine that called the difference detection process. In addition, when there is a motion (that is, when an active state is detected. Refer to F2 to F5 in FIG. 10. Step # 22: Yes), a frame immediately before the motion is detected (the active state is detected). The image of the article processing unit in the non-operating state imaged immediately before (that is, F1 in FIG. 10) is stored in the storage area as the pre-operation image Fs (step # 23).
Subsequently, as in step # 21, time series image frames as moving images are sequentially acquired by the camera 30 and stored in the storage area (step # 24).
Thereafter, based on the image of the article processing unit captured by the camera 30 in step # 24, it is determined whether or not the movement of the worker M or the article is no longer detected in the article processing unit (step # 25). If the movement continues (step # 25: No), the process returns to step # 24.

When there is no movement in step # 25 (ie, when the operation state is changed to the non-operation state. Step # 25: Yes), the frame immediately after the movement is lost (from the operation state to the non-operation state). The image of the article processing unit in the non-operating state captured immediately after the transition, that is, F6 in FIG. 10) is stored in the storage area as the post-work image Fe (step # 26).
That is, when detecting the active state, the control unit H sets the pre-work image Fs to the image of the article processing unit in the non-operating state captured immediately before detecting the active state, and does not operate from the active state. An image of the article processing unit in an inoperative state that is imaged immediately after the transition to the state is configured as a post-work image Fe.

Subsequently, the control unit H determines an area where motion exists in a frame from the pre-work image Fs to the post-work image Fe as a comparison target area (step # 27).
Referring to FIGS. 10 and 11, the control unit H manages the imaging region (for example, the supply case 12) by dividing it into a plurality of small regions Gp.
Then, in the frames F2 to F5 in FIG. 10, motion is detected in the area indicated by Am. This area Am is an area corresponding to the movement occurring in the article processing unit.
The control unit H overlaps the region Amt as the sum of the regions Am corresponding to the movements occurring in the article processing unit in the image of the article processing unit captured in the active state among the plurality of small regions Gp. A set of regions Gp is set as the comparison target region G. That is, the comparison target region G is a partial region of the image of the article processing unit.

The control unit H compares the pre-work image Fs and the post-work image Fe with respect to only the comparison target region G (step # 28).
Subsequently, the control unit H determines whether or not the comparison result in step # 28 has changed (step # 29). If there is no change, the control unit H exits the difference detection processing routine and executes the difference detection processing. Return to the calling routine. When there is a change, the pattern matching process is executed only for the comparison target region G for both the pre-work image Fs and the post-work image Fe (step # 30). As a result of matching with the template image in the pattern matching processing, the quantity of articles recognized as being included in the comparison target region G in the pre-work image Fs and the comparison target region G in the post-work image Fe as a result of matching with the template image The difference from the recognized quantity of goods is calculated as an increase / decrease quantity. Then, the product type and the increase / decrease quantity are stored in the storage area (step # 31).
Thus, compared with the case where the difference is detected using the entire region of the supply case 12 as a comparison target region, the comparison region can be made smaller, so that the time required for processing can be shortened.

The picking process will be described based on the flowchart of FIG. The control unit H reads the unique ID recorded on the RFID tag 11t of the collection case 11 with the RFID tag reader 45r (Step # 151), and picks up picking order information corresponding to the unique ID of the collection case. From K (step # 152).
Subsequently, based on the picking order information acquired from the host management device K, the control unit H causes the supply-side display unit 31D of the digital picking display unit 31 corresponding to a plurality of picking target supply cases to determine from the picking target supply case. It is displayed whether or not the individual articles should be picked (step # 153).

In the subsequent process, a difference detection process (step # 154) for the collection case 11 and a difference detection process (step # 161) for the supply case 12 (pick target supply case) are executed in parallel.
The control unit H calculates the total number of articles in the collection case following the difference detection process for the collection case 11 in step # 154 (step # 155). Subsequently, it is determined whether or not the end of the picking operation has been detected (whether or not the input button 32B of the digital picking display 32 has been pressed) (step # 156). In step # 156, when the input button 32B of the digital picking display 32 is not pressed, that is, when the end of picking is not detected, the process returns to step # 153.

Further, following the difference detection process for the supply case 12 in step # 161, the control unit H calculates the total number of pick-up quantities from the supply case 12 (step # 162), and from the supply case 12 (picking target supply case). It is determined whether or not the picked-up quantity is larger than the quantity displayed on the supply side display unit 31D of the digital picking display 31 corresponding to the picking target supply case (that is, whether or not it has been taken out too much) ( Step # 163).
If it is determined in step # 163 that the quantity to be taken out is exceeded, an error is continuously displayed on the supply side display unit 31D (step # 164). The operator M sees this display and corrects the quantity to be taken out (that is, returns the excessively taken quantity to the picking target supply case). Thereafter, the control unit H performs a difference detection process on the supply case 12 that is determined to have exceeded the removal quantity (step # 165), and determines whether or not the removal quantity has been corrected (step 165). # 166). If it is determined that the take-out quantity has not been corrected, the error display at step # 164 is continued. If it is determined that the correction has been made, the process proceeds to step # 156.

If the end of picking is detected in step # 156, it is subsequently determined whether or not the type and quantity of articles put in the collection case are in accordance with the picking order (step # 157). That is, comparing the type of article specified in the picking order and the quantity for each type with the type of article stored in the storage area in step # 30 in the difference detection process and the quantity for each type, Determine whether there is a difference.
At this time, if there is a difference, it is considered that the article in the collection case 11 is not in accordance with the picking order, so the process proceeds to step # 159 and an error is displayed on the collection-side display unit 32D. If it is determined in step # 157 that there is no difference, that is, the article in the collection case 11 is in accordance with the picking order, the quantity of articles taken out from the supply case 12 and the collection case 11 It is determined whether or not the total number of articles is equal (step # 158).

Further, if the number of articles taken out from the supply case 12 and the total number of articles in the collection case 11 are not equal, it is considered that the article has fallen outside without being able to be put into the collection case 11. Proceeding to step # 159, an error is displayed on the collection side display section 32D (step # 159).
When an error is displayed on the collection-side display unit 32D, the worker M has found that the articles in the collection case 11 are not in the picking order, or the quantity of articles taken out from the supply case 12 and the collection case 11 Since it can be known that the total number of articles in the list is not equal, it can be dealt with to correct the difference (step # 160).
In the present embodiment, the process of step # 158 corresponds to a match determination process. That is, the control unit H executes a coincidence determination process for determining whether or not the type and quantity of the article taken out in the take-out operation are consistent with the type and quantity of the article taken out in the collection work. It is configured as follows.

That is, the control unit H determines the type of the article processed by the article processing unit based on the image of the article processing unit captured by the camera 30, and calculates the number of articles for each type. Based on the type of the article and the quantity of the article for each type, it is determined whether or not the article processing operation has been performed on the article of the type and quantity specified in the picking order.
Further, the control unit H compares the pre-operation image Fs that is an image of the article processing unit before execution of the article processing operation and the post-operation image Fe that is an image of the article processing unit after execution of the article processing operation, The difference detection process for determining the type of the article whose quantity has changed and calculating the change quantity of the article is executed, and based on the calculation result of the difference detection process, the article processing work is as specified in the article processing information. It is comprised so that it may determine whether it was performed with respect to the goods of a classification and quantity.

[Another embodiment]
(1) In the above-described embodiment, the configuration in which the worker M as the main subject performs the picking work as the article processing work has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to such a configuration. For example, the autonomous control type picking robot May be applied to a picking facility configured to perform a picking operation.
In the above embodiment, the example in which the article processing facility of the present invention is applied to a picking facility has been described. Instead of such a configuration, the article processing facility of the present invention is applied to production facilities such as a factory. Also good.

(2) In the above embodiment, the article processing unit is configured to include at least the article storage area of the supply case 12 in the front row or the article storage area of the collection case 11 placed and supported on the collection case mounting table 43. However, the present invention is not limited to such a configuration. For example, a plurality of picked articles are directly placed on the transport surface of the supply conveyor and supplied, and the collected articles are transported by the collection conveyor. When configured to be placed and arranged on the surface, the article processing unit is close to the predetermined area set in the vicinity of the picking work place of the supply conveyor and the picking work place of the collecting conveyor. It may be configured to include a predetermined area set in the portion to be.

(3) In the above-described embodiment, the configuration in which the picking work as the article processing work is executed based on the picking order information managed by the host management device K as the article processing information has been described. However, the present invention is limited to such a configuration. Instead, the same worker M may always pick the same type and number of articles, and the article processing information may be a combination of the type and number of articles corresponding to the worker.

(4) In the above embodiment, the camera 30 as the imaging device is a collection that can capture an image using the supply-side camera 30a that can capture an image with the picking target supply case as the imaging target region and the collection case 11 as the imaging target region. Although the two types of configurations provided with the product-side camera 30a have been described, only one of them may be provided.
When only one of the supply-side camera 30a capable of capturing an image with the picking target supply case as an imaging target area and the collection-side camera 30a capable of capturing an image with the collection case 11 as an imaging target area is provided, You may comprise so that the matching determination process in this embodiment may not be performed.

Further, instead of the supply-side camera 30a and the collection-side camera 30a, a camera of a head-mounted display device that the operator M wears on the head and superimposes and displays information on an image captured by the camera provided therein. It is good also as a structure using. In this case, both the picking target supply case and the collection case 11 can be configured to image with the same camera. That is, since the camera of the head-mounted display device captures the direction of the line of sight of the worker M, the collection case 11 that the worker M will see when the worker M performs the take-out operation or the collection operation. Or it is thought that the inside of the supply case 12 is imaged. For this reason, it can replace with the supply side camera 30a and the collection side camera 30a, and can be set as the structure which uses the camera of a single head mounted display apparatus.
In the above-described embodiment, the supply-side camera 30a capable of capturing an image with the picking target supply case as an imaging target region is provided separately for each of the plurality of end placement portions 41p. The end placement portion 41p may be configured to capture an image with one supply-side camera 30a.

(5) In the above embodiment, the RFID tags 11t and 12t are attached to the supply case 12 or the collection case 11, and the unique ID information is read by the RFID tag readers 41r and 45r. However, the present invention is limited to such a configuration. For example, a barcode may be attached to the supply case 12 or the collection case 11, and a barcode reader may be provided instead of the RFID tag reader.

(6) In the above-described embodiment, the configuration has been described in which the difference detection process is executed for each series of extraction work corresponding to one picking order information based on the image before the execution of the extraction work and the image after the execution. However, the present invention is not limited to such a configuration, and the difference detection process may be executed after all of a series of extraction operations corresponding to one picking order information is completed.

(7) In the above embodiment, when there is a movement of the worker M or the article in the article processing section based on the image of the article processing section taken by the camera 30, the image before the movement is set as the pre-work image. The post-motion image is configured to be the post-work image, but is not limited to this configuration. For example, the input button 31B of the digital picking display 31 or the input button of the digital picking display 32 You may comprise so that the image before work and the image after work may be acquired by pressing 32B as a trigger. Specifically, the control unit H commands the new picking order information, and simultaneously acquires the images of all the supply containers 12 and the collection containers 11 and sets them as pre-operation images. The input button 31B or the input button 32B The image of the supply container 12 or the collection container 11 corresponding to the input button 31B or the input button 32B when the button is pressed may be set as the post-work image.

(8) In the above embodiment, the control unit H is configured to be able to recognize the three-dimensional shape of the article located in the article processing unit based on the phase difference between the images captured by the two lenses of the camera 30. As described above, the present invention is not limited to such a configuration. For example, the distance may be determined by measuring the time until the projected light is reflected and returned. Further, an ultrasonic sensor may be used for the 3D measurement portion, and the captured image information and the position in the approaching / separating direction with respect to the ultrasonic sensor obtained by the ultrasonic sensor may be managed together.
Moreover, when there is no possibility that the articles are stacked when the articles are accommodated in the supply case 12 or the collection case 11, it may be configured not to have a function of recognizing the three-dimensional shape of the articles.

(9) In the above embodiment, the article recognized by the control unit H as being included in the comparison target region G in the pre-work image Fs as a result of matching with the template image in the pattern matching process after the pattern matching process in Step # 29 And the quantity of articles recognized as being included in the comparison target region G in the post-work image Fe as a result of collation with the template image. However, the present invention is not limited to such a configuration. For example, the type of the article is specified based on the pre-work image Fs, and the difference between the feature amounts between the pre-work image Fs and the post-work image Fe in the comparison target region G is calculated. Determine whether the difference in feature amount corresponds to the increase or decrease of the article, calculate how many the increased or decreased quantity is, and store the product type and the increased or decreased quantity It may be configured to be stored in.

11 collection container 12 supply container 30 (30a, 30b) imaging device Fe image after work Fs image before work G comparison area H control unit M subject of work

Claims (8)

An article processing unit that is a target for performing an article processing operation in which the work subject processes the article based on the article processing information generated in a form that specifies the type of article and the quantity of the article;
A control unit for determining whether or not the article processing work has been appropriately performed based on the article processing information, and an article processing facility provided with
An imaging device capable of imaging the article processing unit is provided,
The control unit discriminates the type of the article processed by the article processing unit based on the image of the article processing unit imaged by the imaging device, calculates the number of articles for each type, and calculates Based on the type of article and the quantity of articles for each class, it is configured to determine whether or not the article processing operation has been performed on an article of the type and quantity specified in the article processing information. There are goods processing equipment.   The control unit compares a pre-operation image that is an image of the article processing unit before execution of the article processing operation and a post-operation image that is an image of the article processing unit after execution of the article processing operation, A difference detection process for determining the type of the article whose quantity has changed and calculating a change quantity of the article is executed, and the article processing operation is specified in the article processing information based on the calculation result of the difference detection process. The article processing facility according to claim 1, wherein the article processing facility is configured to determine whether or not it has been executed for an article of the same type and quantity. Based on the image of the article processing unit imaged by the imaging device, the control unit can detect an active state in which the work subject or the article moves in the article processing unit and a non-operational state in which there is no movement. And
When the active state is detected, the image of the article processing unit in the no-operation state captured immediately before detecting the active state is set as the pre-work image, and the inactive state is changed from the active state to the inactive state. The article processing facility according to claim 2, wherein an image of the article processing unit in the no-operation state captured immediately after transition to is used as the post-work image.   When the control unit detects the active state, based on a region corresponding to a movement occurring in the article processing unit in an image of the article processing unit captured in the active state, The article processing facility according to claim 3, wherein a part of the image of the article processing unit is set as a comparison target area, and the difference detection process is executed only for the comparison target area.   The said control part is comprised so that the three-dimensional shape of the article | item located in the said article | item process part can be recognized based on the image imaged with the said imaging device. Goods processing equipment. The article processing operation includes an extraction operation of taking out an article of the type and quantity specified by the article processing information from a supply container containing at least a plurality of articles,
The article processing facility according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the article processing section includes at least an article storage area in the supply container. The article processing work is a collection work for putting an article of the type and quantity specified in the article processing information into a collection container corresponding to the article processing information,
The article processing facility according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the article processing unit includes at least an article storage area in the collection container. The article processing work is a collection work for putting articles of the type and quantity specified in the take-out work or the article processing information into a collection container corresponding to the article processing information,
The article processing unit includes at least an article storage area in the supply container and an article storage area in the collection container,
The control unit executes a coincidence determination process for determining whether or not the type and quantity of the article taken out in the take-out operation and the type and quantity of the article taken out in the collection work match. The article processing facility according to claim 6 configured as described above.

Images