JP2019011203A - Automatic warehouse control device - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide an automatic warehouse control device capable of efficiently delivering eggs.SOLUTION: An automatic warehouse comprises: a reception station for receiving eggs which are classified for every equal rank as an egg group for every equal rank; a rack comprising plural article storage shelves for storing the received egg groups; plural delivery stations for delivering the stored egg groups according to a delivery request; and a stacker crane for moving between the reception station, the article storage shelves and the delivery stations, and performing transposition of the egg groups between the reception station, article storage shelves and the delivery stations. When determining the article storage shelf in which the egg group transported to the reception station is stored, determination of the article storage shelf in which the egg group is stored is determined based on past delivery history information or delivery request information which is set by a user, of at least one delivery station out of the plural delivery stations.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

The present invention relates to an automatic warehouse for temporarily stocking eggs selected by class and taking out eggs of a predetermined class when necessary.

Eggs are laid out from chickens at the poultry house, which is a production farm, and sorted by physical properties such as weight, presence or absence of cracks, presence or absence of dirt, presence or absence of internal abnormalities before reaching the consumers' hands (Grading), Then, it is packaged (Packed) in a container such as an egg pack and shipped. Such sorting and packaging operations are performed in an egg sorting and packaging facility called a GP (Grading & Packing) center.

Conventionally, eggs transported from a production farm have been packaged and shipped immediately after being sorted based on weight as a main criterion. However, from the viewpoint of improving the efficiency of sorting and packaging facilities, and in order to respond to demands such as the shipment of many kinds of eggs in small quantities, the present inventor established an automatic warehouse between the sorting process and the packaging process in the egg sorting and packaging apparatus. The thing which intervened and isolate | separated both processes is considered (refer the following patent document 1).

In the automatic warehouse of Patent Document 1, a plurality of trays filled with selected equal class eggs are stored in a stacked state (this state is referred to as “(equal class) egg group”), and according to demand. Issue the tray. A production management method is adopted in which the eggs on the tray are shipped in a state of being divided into individual egg packs after being delivered. By separating the sorting and the packaging through the automatic warehouse as described above, it is possible to reduce the work loss and adjust the shipping amount according to the order from the customer, that is, the demand amount.

Such an automatic warehouse includes an entry station for receiving the egg group from the outside, a delivery station for delivering the egg group to the outside, a rack having an article storage shelf for storing the egg group, and an egg in the automatic warehouse. A stacker crane which is a transposition means for moving the group. Then, the egg group that has entered the warehousing station is moved from the warehousing station to the article storage shelf using the stacker crane and stored, and is moved from the article storage shelf to the warehousing station in response to the warehousing request.

JP 2005-96784 A

By the way, in recent years, speeding up of egg selection is required, and the amount of eggs processed per unit time, that is, the number of eggs stored in an automatic warehouse is increasing. In addition, there is an increasing tendency for shipping operations to require packaging in a wide variety and a small amount. As a result, even in a sorting and packaging system using an automatic warehouse, it is necessary to increase the speed at the time of loading or unloading eggs. Then, the movement of the stacker crane could not catch up with the request for loading and unloading, and egg shipment management was sometimes inefficient.

Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide an automatic warehouse control device capable of efficiently shipping eggs.

In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the present invention takes the following measures. That is, the control device for an automatic warehouse according to claim 1 includes a storage station that receives eggs classified by equal class as an egg group for each equal class, and a plurality of article storage shelves that store the stored egg group. Move between a rack, a plurality of delivery stations that deliver the stored egg group in response to a delivery request, and between the entry station, the article storage shelf, and the delivery station, and the egg group between the entry station, the article storage shelf, and the delivery station In an automatic warehouse equipped with a stacker crane for translocating, when deciding on which article storage shelves the egg group carried into the warehousing station is to be stored, at least one of the sheding stations of the past, With reference to the output history information or the output request information set by the user, it can be stored in any storage shelf. And determining whether the to. Here, “egg group” means a state in which a tray is filled with a plurality of eggs of equal class divided by indices such as LL size, L size, M size, MS size, S size, and SS size. To do.

If this is the case, the egg-specific situation, that is, the situation from the entry to the delivery to the automatic warehouse is relatively short, the shipping work tends to require a lot of varieties and small quantities of packaging Can be shipped efficiently. In particular, eggs are divided into 6 grades from LL to SS due to the nature of the standard, so there is one issue compared to a wide variety of products such as industrial products housed in general automatic warehouses. It is easy to set the same class corresponding to the station. On the other hand, the equal class of egg groups delivered from one delivery station varies depending on orders from customers. For example, there may be an M-size exit request or an L-size exit request at one exit station, and the class of eggs handled by the day or by the time of day Is different. In another example, when it is desired to issue an M-size delivery request, the delivery may be made from one delivery station or from another delivery station.

In view of such circumstances peculiar to eggs, the use of the automatic warehouse control device according to the present invention as described above can improve the efficiency of egg shipment while making the most of the situation peculiar to eggs. .

The control apparatus for an automatic warehouse according to claim 2 is a storage station for receiving eggs classified by equal class as an egg group for each equal class, and a rack including a plurality of article storage shelves for storing the received egg group. , Move the stored egg group in response to a delivery request, and move between the storage station, the article storage shelf and the delivery station, and transfer the egg group between the storage station, the article storage shelf and the delivery station. In an automatic warehouse equipped with a stacker crane that moves, the work of transferring eggs placed in the storage station to the goods storage shelf, the work of transferring the eggs stored in the goods storage shelf to the delivery station, or a plurality of goods When deciding which of the tasks to relocate the eggs between storage shelves, the eggs in the immediately preceding process of the automatic warehouse And a goods issue residence information group of eggs in warehousing wait information or the next step as a reference, and determines whether to perform one of the tasks.

The control apparatus for an automatic warehouse according to claim 3 includes a storage station that receives eggs classified by equal class as an egg group for each equal class, and a rack including a plurality of article storage shelves for storing the received egg group. , Move the stored egg group in response to a delivery request, and move between the storage station, the article storage shelf and the delivery station, and transfer the egg group between the storage station, the article storage shelf and the delivery station. In an automatic warehouse equipped with a stacker crane that moves, an egg group stored in one article storage shelf is moved to another one article storage shelf. It is characterized by determining which article storage shelf to store with reference to the outgoing history information.

The automatic warehouse control device according to claim 4 is the automatic warehouse control device according to claim 1, wherein the stacker crane determines in which article storage shelf the egg group carried into the warehousing station is stored. At the time, the warehousing class information related to the isoclass of the egg group carried into the warehousing station is acquired, and the class information included in the past archiving history information of at least one of the multiple evacuation stations or set by the user After the equal class information included in the issued request information is compared with the incoming class information, the class information is controlled so as to be placed on the article storage shelf in the vicinity of the output station having the same class. Here, the “goods storage shelf in the vicinity of the delivery station” means a shelf at any position as long as the operation range and operation time of the stacker crane between the goods storage shelf and the delivery station are as short as possible. Good.

The automatic warehouse control device according to claim 5 is the automatic warehouse control device according to claim 1, 2, 3 or 4, wherein the automatic warehouse comprises a plurality of warehousing stations.

ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, the control apparatus of the automatic warehouse which can ship an egg efficiently can be provided.

1 is a schematic plan view of a chicken egg sorting and packaging system according to an embodiment of the present invention. The schematic sectional side view of the automatic warehouse concerning the embodiment. FIG. 3 is a configuration explanatory diagram of a control device for an automatic warehouse according to the embodiment. The flowchart which shows the example of the procedure of the process which the control apparatus of the automatic warehouse concerning the embodiment performs according to a program. The flowchart which shows the example of the procedure of the process which the control apparatus of the automatic warehouse concerning the embodiment performs according to a program. The schematic sectional side view of the automatic warehouse concerning the modification of this invention.

Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 1 is a plan view for explaining an egg E sorting and packaging system 10 according to the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a schematic side view of an automatic warehouse 2. In addition, in this specification, the equal class of a chicken egg is demonstrated by the egg weight classification which is the transaction standard of a chicken egg.

An egg E sorting and packaging system 10 according to the present embodiment includes a sorting system 1 that systematizes the sorting process of eggs E, an automatic warehouse 2 that is arranged in the next process of the sorting system 1, and the next to the automatic warehouse 2. And a packaging system 3 that is arranged in the process and systematizes the packaging process.

The sorting system 1 includes a sorting device 11 that sorts eggs E mainly based on weight, and a stacking device 12 that stacks trays (temporary containers) T filled with the eggs E after sorting. .

The sorting device 11 includes, for example, a first transport unit 13 that transports the eggs E in six rows, a second transport unit 14 that is connected to the downstream side of the first transport unit 13 and transports the eggs E in one row, And a plurality of third transport units 15 that are connected to the downstream side of the second transport unit 14 and transport the eggs E received from the second transport unit 14 in a state of being placed in the tray T. In the present embodiment, the conveyance direction of the first conveyance unit 13 and the conveyance direction of the second conveyance unit 14 are orthogonal to each other, and the conveyance direction of the second conveyance unit 14 and the conveyance direction of the third conveyance unit 15 are orthogonal to each other. Is arranged.

The first transport unit 13 includes a weight measuring unit (not shown) that measures the weight of the egg E. In the present embodiment, the eggs E are sorted into six types (equal class) of LL size, L size, M size, MS size, S size, and SS size based on the measurement result of the weight measuring unit. The second transport unit 14 transports the weighed egg E to the third transport unit 15. The 3rd conveyance part 15 is provided according to the selection conditions of the egg E, ie, an equal class. In this embodiment, a line 15a corresponding to the LL size from the upstream side where the egg E is conveyed, a line 15b corresponding to the L size, a line 15c corresponding to the M size, a line 15d corresponding to the MS size, Six distribution lines including a line 15e corresponding to the S size and a line 15f corresponding to the SS size are provided. In each distribution line 15a-15f of the 3rd conveyance part 15, 30 eggs E are filled into one tray T (for example, American tray etc.).

The stacking device 12 receives the tray T filled with the eggs E from the third transport unit 15 and stacks the trays T filled with the eggs E one by one in the vertical direction to form one egg group G. It is. In the egg group G, the even-numbered trays T and the odd-numbered trays T are stacked in a state where they are rotated by 90 ° in the horizontal direction. In this state, the egg group G moves to the automatic warehouse 2 connected to the downstream side of the stacking device 12.

The automatic warehouse 2 is composed of a heat insulating structure in which the outer wall 21 is covered with a heat insulating material, and is provided with air adjusting means for maintaining the internal space 22 in a predetermined condition. A storage station 4a to 4d for storing the stored egg E as an egg group G for each class, a rack 5 including a plurality of article storage shelves 51 for storing the stored egg group G, and a stored egg group G. It moves between a plurality of delivery stations 6a to 6c to be delivered in response to a delivery request, the entry stations 4a to 4d, the article storage shelf 51 and the delivery stations 6a to 6c, and these entry stations 4a to 4d, the article storage shelf 51 and the delivery. A stacker crane 7 for transferring the eggs E to the stations 6a to 6c and a control device 8 for controlling the stacker crane 7 are provided. In the present embodiment, two three-dimensional racks 5, 5 that form a pair, and four storage stations 4 a, 4 b provided in one of the racks 5, 5 arranged on the sorting system 1 side. 4c, 4d, three delivery stations 6a, 6b, 6c provided in the other rack 5 arranged on the packaging system 3 side, and one stacker crane 7 arranged between the two racks 5, 5 It is mainly composed of. In other words, the pair of racks 5 and 5 are disposed on both sides of the travel path of the stacker crane 7, and the travel path of the stacker crane 7 is disposed in parallel with the transport path of the second transport unit 14. Yes.

Each warehousing station 4a to 4d is provided on the article storage shelf 51 of one rack 5, receives the egg group G sent from the sorting system 1, and transports it to a position where the stacker crane 7 can take in the egg group G. The warehousing and conveying apparatus 41 is provided. Each of the warehousing stations 4 a to 4 d is connected to the stacking device 12 via the warehousing and transporting device 41, and receives the egg group G from the stacking device 12. It is set by the user using a setting device 42 provided in association with the warehousing stations 4a to 4d to determine which class of egg group G enters the warehousing stations 4a to 4d. In the warehousing stations 4a to 4d of the present embodiment, for example, the first and first lines corresponding to the four lines 15a, 15b, 15c, and 15d of LL, L, M, and MS in the third transport unit 15 of the sorting device 11 Second, third, and fourth warehousing stations 4a, 4b, 4c, and 4d are provided side by side in the left-right direction of the rack 5 on the sorting device 11 side. Then, the user is set to store the LL size egg group G in the first storage station 4a, and similarly, the second storage station 4b is set to store the L size egg group G. The third warehousing station 4c is set to receive the M-sized egg group G, and the fourth warehousing station 4d is set to store the MS-sized egg group G. The class information such as warehousing by such setting is sent to the control device 8 for use in controlling the stacker crane 7. Each of the warehousing stations 4 a to 4 d is provided with a sensor 43 that detects that the egg group G has been set, and warehousing reception information indicating that the egg group G has been received is sent to the control device 8.

Each rack 5, 5 extends in the left-right direction (Y direction in FIG. 1) and the up-down direction (Z direction in FIG. 2) and is built in a wall shape, and is spaced in the depth direction (X direction in FIGS. 1 and 2). Are lined up. Each rack 5 includes a plurality of article storage shelves 51 arranged in the left-right direction and the up-down direction.

Each of the delivery stations 6 a to 6 c is provided on the article storage shelf 51 of the other rack 5, and includes a delivery transport device 61 for transporting the egg group G transferred by the stacker crane 7 to the packaging system 3. Each of the delivery stations 6a to 6c is connected to a stage spreader 32a to 32c, which will be described later, of the packaging system 3 via the delivery transport device 61. The egg group G received by the delivery stations 6a to 6c is the delivery transport device 61. Is conveyed to the packaging system 3. Which class of egg group G is sent out by the delivery stations 6a to 6c is set by the user using a setting device 62 provided in association with the delivery stations 6a to 6c. When the user performs a setting of “deliver 1,000 LL-sized eggs E from the first exit station 6 a”, the exit request information is sent to the control device 8 for use in controlling the stacker crane 7. .

The stacker crane 7 is configured to be movable between the two racks 5, 5 in the extending direction of the racks 5, that is, in the horizontal direction and the vertical direction. The egg group G can be carried into / out of the storage shelf 51. The movement of the stacker crane 7 is appropriately controlled by the control device 8 and can freely move in the left-right direction and the up-down direction.

The control device 8 is mainly for controlling the stacker crane 7, and is a microcomputer system having a processor, a memory, an input interface, an output interface, and the like. The control device 8 controls the movement of the stacker crane 7 related to loading and unloading of the article storage shelf 51, manages the number of egg groups G to be stored, the information about the position of the article storage shelf 51, and the like. The empty state of the storage shelf 51 is also stored as appropriate. When the control device 8 of the automatic warehouse 2 determines in which article storage shelf 51 the egg group G carried into the warehousing stations 4a to 4d is to be stored, the past warehousing history information of each of the shipping stations 6a to 6c. Alternatively, the article storage shelf 51 to be stored is determined with reference to the exit request information set by the user.

Specifically, the control device 8 according to the present embodiment is carried into the warehousing stations 4a to 4d when determining which article storage shelf 51 is to store the egg group G carried into the warehousing stations 4a to 4d. The occupancy class information regarding the equal class of the egg group G is acquired. And by comparing the same class information included in the previous class output history information or the same class information included in the output request information set by the user of the multiple output stations 6a to 6c, Control is performed to place the items on the article storage shelf 51 in the vicinity of the delivery stations 6a to 6c having the same class.

Here, in the shipping history information, for example, date information such as “10000 LL-sized eggs and 10000 L-sized eggs were shipped in the last three days” from the shipping station 6a, for example. , Class information and quantity information. With respect to the outgoing history information, the isoclass that has been delivered the most from the outgoing station in the most recent predetermined period may be calculated in order to obtain equivalent class information for comparison with incoming class information. . Similarly, the exit request information includes equal class information and quantity information, such as “1000 exits LL size eggs” from the exit station 6a. In addition, regarding the egg group G received by the warehousing stations 4a to 4d, for example, “classified 540 LL-sized eggs”, etc., class information (class information such as warehousing) and quantity information are included. Included receipt information is set by the user.

In addition, the control device 8 of the automatic warehouse 2 according to the present embodiment performs an operation for transferring the egg group G carried into the storage stations 4 a to 4 d to the article storage shelf 51 (an incoming operation), and an egg stored in the article storage shelf 51. Which work is to be performed among the work of moving the group G to the shipping stations 6a to 6c (shipping work) or the work of rearranging the egg group G between the plurality of article storage shelves 51 (relocation work)? In making the decision, it is decided which work is to be performed with reference to the waiting information for storing the egg group G in the immediately preceding process of the automatic warehouse 2 or the information for storing the leaving of the egg group G in the next process. Specifically, the warehousing standby information is information relating to how much the warehousing side is congested, and is detected by the detection means provided in the warehousing standby place on the previous process side of the warehousing stations 4a to 4d and the warehousing stations 4a to 4d. Is done. As a specific example, a method proposed by the present applicant in the specification of Japanese Patent Application No. 2015-061728 (unpublished) can be used. Similarly, the leaving retention information is information relating to how much the leaving side is congested, and is detected by the detection means provided at the leaving station on the next process side of the leaving stations 6a to 6c and the leaving stations 6a to 6c. Is.

In particular, in the rearrangement work, the control device 8 of the automatic warehouse 2 according to the present embodiment includes a plurality of egg groups G stored in one article storage shelf 51 when moving the egg group G to another one article storage shelf 51. The article storage shelves 51 to be stored are determined with reference to the past delivery history information of certain delivery stations 6a to 6c.

The packaging system 3 includes a packaging device 31a to 31c that seals an egg pack (shipping container) P on which an egg E is transferred, and an egg group G that is stacked as a preparation stage for packaging the egg E in one tray T. Step separation devices 32a to 32c are provided.

The stage spreaders 32a to 32c receive the egg group G in a state of being delivered and stacked from the delivery stations 6a to 6c, and separate the trays T filled with the eggs E one by one. In the present embodiment, first, second, and third stage ballast devices 32a, 32b, and 32c are provided corresponding to the first, second, and third delivery stations 6a, 6b, and 6c of the automatic warehouse 2, respectively. ing.

The packaging devices 31a to 31c transfer the eggs E filled in the tray T to the egg pack P and wrap the eggs E in the pack P. Each of the packaging devices 31a to 31c is connected to the step spreaders 32a to 32c in a one-to-one relationship, and performs a packing operation after receiving the tray T separated by the step spreaders 32a to 32c. The packed eggs E are packed in a collection container such as a cardboard box and shipped to the market.

Next, an example of the operation method of the automatic warehouse 2 will be described with reference to FIGS. 4 and 5. In this embodiment, the state in which the previous process and the next process of the automatic warehouse 2 are operating at the same time, that is, the state in which the warehouse operation to the automatic warehouse 2 and the warehouse operation from the automatic warehouse 2 are performed in parallel. Show.

<Mode to rush goods>
The control device 8 of the automatic warehouse 2 acquires the delivery request information from any setting device 62 of each delivery station 6a to 6c (step S1), and the egg group G stays in the next process of the delivery stations 6a to 6c. When information is not acquired (step S2), control is performed so that the stacker crane 7 preferentially performs the leaving operation (step S3). That is, when there is a delivery request for one of the delivery stations 6a to 6c and the vicinity of the delivery port is not congested, the delivery operation is prioritized. As an example, after the control device 8 acquires from the setting device 62 the delivery request information that “1000 eggs of LL size are delivered from the first delivery station 6 a”, the first delivery station 6 a and the first delivery station 6 a Unloading staying information indicating whether or not the eggs E in the state of the tray T remain in the unloading receiving place outside the unloading station 6a is acquired. If the next process that has been delivered is not congested, the stacker crane 7 performs an operation of moving the LL size egg group G stored in the article storage shelf 51 to the first delivery station 6a (a delivery operation).

On the other hand, if the exit request information is not acquired in step S1 (there is no exit request), or if the exit retention information is acquired in step S2 (there is exit retention), the inbound stations 4a to 4d are confirmed ( Steps S4 and S5).

<Mode to rush goods>
The control device 8 of the automatic warehouse 2 acquires the warehousing receipt information of any of the warehousing stations 4a to 4d (step S4), and acquires the warehousing waiting information of the egg group G in the immediately preceding process of the warehousing stations 4a to 4d. In the case (step S5), the stacker crane 7 is controlled so as to preferentially perform the warehousing operation (step S6). That is, when there is an egg group G to be stored in one storage station 4a to 4d and the vicinity of the storage port is congested, the storage operation is prioritized. As an example, after the control device 8 obtains the warehousing receipt information “getting 540 LL-sized eggs from the first warehousing station 4a” from the setting device 42 or the sensor 43, the first warehousing station 4a, The warehousing waiting information indicating whether or not the eggs E stacked in the warehousing waiting place outside the first warehousing station 4a are waiting is acquired. If the previous process for warehousing is congested, the stacker crane 7 performs an operation of moving the egg group G carried into the warehousing station 4a to the article storage shelf 51 (a warehousing operation).

On the other hand, if no warehousing acceptance information is acquired in step S4 (no egg group G to be warehousing), or if no warehousing waiting information is obtained in step S5 (no warehousing waiting), relocation work is performed. (Step S7).

<Relocation mode>
The control device 8 of the automatic warehouse 2 does not need to rush the warehousing work and the warehousing work with reference to the warehousing waiting information of the egg group G in the immediately preceding process of the automatic warehouse 2 and the warehousing retention information of the egg group G in the next process. In this case, for example, the stacker crane 7 is operated during a break time without sorting and packaging work or at night, and the work of rearranging the egg group G between the plurality of article storage shelves 51 is performed (step S7). Note that the control device 8 of the automatic warehouse 2 according to the present embodiment moves the egg group G stored in one article storage shelf 51 to the other one article storage shelf 51, so that each of the delivery stations 6a to 6c The article storage shelf 51 is determined with reference to the past delivery history information. More specifically, the same class information included in the past output history information of each of the output stations 6a to 6c is compared with the equal class information of the egg group G to be transposed, and stored in any article storage shelf 51. Decide what to do. The class information of the egg group G is stored in the control device 8.

At the time of delivery, basically, first-in-first-out, that is, goods with the earliest entry order are delivered, so when rearrangement is performed, the objects are rearranged in order from the earliest entry order. Here, for example, when the M size egg group G stored in one article storage shelf 51 is to be rearranged, the outgoing history information of each outgoing station 6a to 6c (from which outgoing station within the most recent predetermined period, the M The stacker crane 7 is controlled so as to be placed on the article storage shelf 51 in the vicinity of the delivery station of the same class, with reference to whether the size is delivered most. Since the processing procedure of the control device 8 at the time of such rearrangement conforms to the processing procedure at the time of warehousing described later (described with reference to FIG. 5), detailed description thereof will be omitted.

In addition, when there are no delivery stations 6a to 6c having the same class, they may be placed in any article storage shelf 51. At that time, if it is not transferred to the article storage shelves 51 in the vicinity of the delivery stations 6a to 6c, the next time the group of eggs G to be stored in these article storage shelves 51 is received, these article storages are performed. The egg group G can be transposed preferentially to the shelf 51.

As described above, the control device 8 according to the present embodiment preferentially performs any work among the warehousing work, the warehousing work, and the rearrangement work with reference to the warehousing standby information and the warehousing retention information. To decide.

<Control at the time of goods receipt>
Next, it supplements about the control performed when the egg group G is transposed to the goods storage shelf 51 from the receipt stations 4a-4d. When determining which article storage shelf 51 stores the LL size egg group G carried into the first warehousing station 4a, the control device 8 of the present embodiment, for example, The article storage shelf 51 near the first storage station 4a may be determined by referring to the past delivery history information or the delivery request information set by the user. You may make it store in. Here, the vicinity of the first warehousing station 4a is, for example, warehousing with the shelf adjacent to the article storage shelf 51 where the first warehousing station 4a is provided, the periphery thereof, or the stacker crane 7 interposed therebetween. It means a position where the stacker crane 7 can carry the egg group G from the first storage station 4a in a relatively short flow line and in a relatively short time, such as the article storage shelf 51 facing the station 4a.

When referring to the past delivery history information of each delivery station 6a-6c or the delivery request information set by the user, the control device 8 uses the egg group G carried into the first entry station 4a, etc. The warehousing class information related to the class is obtained, and the isoclass information included in the past publishing history information or the evacuation request information set by the user, and the warehousing class, etc. of each of the shipping stations 6a to 6c. After the information is compared, the information may be placed on the article storage shelf 51 in the vicinity of the delivery station 6a having the same class.

As an example, as shown in the flowchart of FIG. 5, the control device 8 receives warehousing acceptance information in which the LL-sized egg group G is carried into the first warehousing station (denoted as “garaging ST” in the figure) 6 a. (Step S11), the warehousing class information (A) related to the equal class of the egg group G is acquired (Step S12). Thereafter, the class information (B1) of the first shipping station (described as “shipping ST” in the figure) 6a (included in the shipping history information / shipping request information), the (shipping history information / The equal class information (B2) (included in the issue request information) and the equal class information (B3) (included in the issue history information / output request information) of the third issue station 6c are acquired (step S13), and the incoming class, etc. The information (A) and the equal class information (B1, B2, B3) of each of the shipping stations 6a to 6c are sequentially compared (steps S14, S15, S16).

In this embodiment, the LL size equivalent class information (B1) and the LL size entry class information (A) included in the exit request information of the exit station 6a coincide with each other. It arrange | positions to the goods storage shelf 51 of the vicinity of the delivery station 6a (step S17). The second delivery station 6b and the third delivery station 6c are also controlled in accordance with this, and in the case of an equal class other than the LL size, each is stored in an appropriate article storage shelf 51 (step S18). , S19). Here, the vicinity of the exit stations 6a to 6c is, for example, each exit with the shelf adjacent to the article storage shelf 51 provided with the exit stations 6a to 6c and the periphery thereof, or the stacker crane 7 interposed therebetween. It means a position where the stacker crane 7 can carry the egg group G in a relatively short flow line and a relatively short time to each of the delivery stations 6a to 6c, such as the article storage shelf 51 facing the stations 6a to 6c.

In addition, when there is no delivery request information in one delivery station, for example, when an M-sized egg group G without a delivery request at the present time is received by the entry station 4c, the delivery history information of each delivery station 6a to 6c ( The stacker crane 7 is controlled so as to be placed on the article storage shelf 51 in the vicinity of the delivery station having the same class, with reference to which delivery station has delivered the largest M size within the most recent predetermined period. .

Further, if there are no delivery stations with the same class, they may be placed in any article storage shelf (step S20).

<Effect of this embodiment>
As described above, according to the control device of the automatic warehouse 2 according to the present embodiment, the receiving stations 4a to 4d that receive the eggs E classified by the equal class as the egg group G for each equal class, and the received eggs. A rack 5 having a plurality of article storage shelves 51 for storing the group G, a plurality of delivery stations 6a to 6c for delivering the stored egg group G in response to a delivery request, an entry station 4a to 4d, and an article storage shelf 51 In the automatic warehouse 2 provided with a stacker crane 7 that moves between the storage stations 6a to 6c and transfers the egg group G between the storage stations 4a to 4d, the article storage shelf 51, and the output stations 6a to 6c. In determining which article storage shelf 51 to store the egg group G carried into 4a to 4d, a plurality of delivery stations 6a to 6c At least one unloading station Chi, past unloading history information or unloading request information set by the user with reference to determine whether to store in any of the article storage shelf 51. Because of this, it becomes possible to operate the stacker crane 7 efficiently, the period from entry to delivery to the automatic warehouse 2 is relatively short, and shipping operations are required to be packaged in a wide variety and in small quantities. The eggs E that are becoming more likely to be shipped can be shipped efficiently.

In particular, in this embodiment, when determining which article storage shelf 51 stores the egg group G carried into the warehousing stations 4a to 4d, warehousing related to the equal class of the egg group G carried into the warehousing stations 4a to 4d. The equal class information included in the previous class output history information or the output request information set by the user of at least one output station among a plurality of output stations 6a to 6c is acquired. The article storage shelves 51 are determined by comparing with the warehousing class information.

When there are a wide variety of isoclasses, the setting of isoclasses corresponding to each delivery station is complicated, but there are circumstances that the isoclasses of eggs are limited to several. That is, since the egg E has only the sixth class from LL to SS due to the characteristics of the standard, it can be compared with other items of various types that can be accommodated in a general automatic warehouse. It is easy to determine the equal class of the eggs E that are mainly delivered from one delivery station based on the delivery request information. In addition, after the egg group G is delivered from the automatic warehouse 2, the packing operation of packing the egg pack P on the downstream side of the automatic warehouse 2 must be performed, so that the egg E is placed downstream of the delivery stations 6 a to 6 c. Packaging materials such as labels and bean seals that match the size are often available. For this reason, the equal class of the egg group G delivered from each of the delivery stations 6a to 6c is not completely fixed, but generally, the equivalent class corresponding to each of the delivery stations 6a to 6c is determined. Can do.

On the other hand, the equal class of the egg group G delivered from one delivery station varies depending on orders from customers. For example, there may be an M size delivery request or an L size delivery request at one delivery station, and the egg group G handled by the day or by the time of day. Different classes. In another example, when it is desired to issue an M-size shipping request, the shipping may be performed from one shipping station or may be performed from another shipping station. According to the control device 8 of the present embodiment that can deal with such circumstances peculiar to eggs, it is possible to make the arrangement of the egg group G in the automatic warehouse 2 appropriate, and to improve the efficiency of shipment of eggs E Can be achieved.

In particular, the egg automatic warehouse 2 separates the sorting process (sorting system 1) and the packaging process (packaging system 3), and ships the eggs E delivered from the automatic warehouse 2. As a result, it is possible to respond flexibly to a sudden order, a small quantity and a variety of orders without depending on the sorting process in the packaging process, and the entire sorting and packaging process (the sorting and packaging system 10) is made more efficient. It contributes to. Therefore, the stacker crane 7 of the automatic warehouse 2 in the entire sorting and packaging process moves with less waste, and the sorting and packaging process including the automatic warehouse 2 and the automatic warehouse 2 of the egg E that is frequently loaded and unloaded. It can contribute to further efficiency improvement of the whole.

Note that the sorting and packaging system 10 of the present embodiment includes the automatic warehouse 2 that can store, store, and remove the sorted eggs E in order to separate the sorting system 1 and the packaging system 3 as described above. In the distribution of the eggs E shipped from the farm to the market through the sorting and packaging facility, the automatic warehouse 2 serves as a buffer. Egg E, which is a natural product, is difficult to adjust the production amount and the demand amount in the distribution, but according to the sorting and packaging system 10 having such a buffer, it can cope with the change of the production amount and the change of the shipment amount. Thus, the egg E can be distributed and the facility can be operated efficiently and optimally.

Further, the control device 8 of the automatic warehouse 2 according to the present embodiment performs an operation of transposing the egg group G carried into the receiving stations 4a to 4d to the article storage shelf 51, and unloads the egg group G stored in the article storage shelf 51. When deciding which work is to be performed among the work of transposing to the stations 6a to 6c or the work of rearranging the egg group G between the plurality of article storage shelves 51, the egg in the immediately preceding process of the automatic warehouse 2 Which work is to be performed is determined with reference to the warehousing waiting information of the group G or the leaving retention information of the egg group G in the next step. Since it is such, the stacker crane 7 can be operated efficiently.

Furthermore, when the control device 8 of the automatic warehouse 2 of the present embodiment moves the egg group G stored in one article storage shelf 51 to the other one article storage shelf 51, a plurality of delivery stations 6a to 6c are provided. The article storage shelf 51 is determined with reference to past delivery history information of at least one delivery station. Since it is like this, the egg group in the automatic warehouse 2 is performed by performing the operation | work which arrange | positions the egg group G in a preferable position also in the time slot | zone when the stacker crane 7 did not operate | move conventionally without the warehouse operation. The arrangement of G can be optimized.

Further, the stacker crane 7 of the present embodiment determines which article storage shelf 51 to store the egg group G carried into the warehousing stations 4a to 4d, and the egg group G carried into the warehousing stations 4a to 4d. Warehousing class information related to the same class, and at least one of the multiple exit stations 6a to 6c is included in the isoclass information included in the past exit history information or the exit request information set by the user. After the same class information is compared with the warehousing class information, it is controlled to be placed on the article storage shelf 51 in the vicinity of the delivery stations 6a to 6c having the same class.

Because of this, the egg group G stored in the vicinity of the exit stations 6a to 6c is taken out by the stacker crane 7, and the exit station 6a in a state where the travel distance and travel time of the stacker crane 7 are as short as possible. Since it is delivered to ˜6c, it is possible to quickly perform the warehousing work.

Furthermore, since the automatic warehouse 2 of this embodiment is provided with a plurality of storage stations 4a to 4d, as in the above-described embodiment, the setting of the equal class of the egg group G received by each of the storage stations 4a to 4d, It is also possible to refer to the delivery request information and delivery history information of each delivery station 6a-6c. That is, it is conceivable that the setting related to the equal class of the egg group G received by the warehousing stations 4a to 4d located in the vicinity of the respective merging stations 6a to 6c corresponds to the equal class set for each of the evacuation stations 6a to 6c. Thereby, the movement distance and movement time of the stacker crane 7 can be made small, and a warehouse operation can be made smooth.

The present invention is not limited to the embodiment described above.

In the above-described embodiment, the stacker crane is controlled with reference to the exit request information of the exit station. However, the combination of each exit station and the exit request information / exit history information is not limited to those described above, and various changes can be made. Is possible. Further, the control device may refer to the shipping request information / shipping history information of at least one shipping station. Furthermore, the article storage shelf for storing the egg group determined when referring to such information may be a shelf other than the article storage shelf in the vicinity of the corresponding delivery station of the same class. Furthermore, such control during warehousing work is not limited to that performed in combination with warehousing standby information and warehousing retention information.

Further, when determining the priority of work, the stacker crane may be controlled with reference to only one of the storage standby information and the storage retention information.

Further, the relocation between a plurality of article storage shelves is provided with a relocation request switch operated by a user, and the stacker crane is operated when the control device receives a signal from the relocation request switch. It may be the one.

The automatic warehouse is not limited to those described above, and can be variously changed. For example, a flat warehouse may be used in addition to the so-called three-dimensional warehouse as illustrated. In addition, the automated warehouse is not only one in which the egg group is sent in one direction through the automatic warehouse from entry to delivery, but the egg group makes a U-turn in the automated warehouse from entry to delivery to carry in and out from the same direction. It may be a thing.

Furthermore, the automatic warehouse may be arranged so as to span a plurality of spaces physically separated by walls, floors, and the like. For example, if it is set as the structure which isolate | separates a selection process and a packaging process completely using the floor part which divides the 1st floor and the 2nd floor of a building, and the wall surface of an automatic warehouse, For example, the waste_water | drain generate | occur | produced at an egg washing process And moisture can be prevented from diffusing into the final packaging process.

The number of warehousing stations is not limited to four, but may be other plural or single. Further, the warehousing station is not limited to the one formed on the article storage shelf. Further, when the warehousing station is formed on the article storage shelf, it may be set at any position on the rack.

The number of racks is not limited to two, but may be other plural or single. The number and shape of the article storage shelves of the rack are not limited to those shown in the drawings, and various changes can be made.

The number of delivery stations is not limited to three, but may be any number. Further, the delivery station is not limited to that formed on the article storage shelf. Further, when the delivery station is formed on the article storage shelf, it may be set at any position on the rack.

There may be a plurality of stacker cranes, and various combinations of arrangements with racks can be changed. As a specific modification of the automatic warehouse, as shown in FIG. 6, two stacker cranes 7, 7 having conveyance paths arranged in parallel, and stacker cranes on both sides arranged between these stacker cranes 7, 7. 7, a central rack 5 a accessible from 7, an outer rack 5 b disposed outside one stacker crane 7, and an outer rack 5 b disposed outside the other stacker crane 7. . If it is such, the freedom degree of the operation | movement of the automatic warehouse 2 can be raised compared with the thing of embodiment mentioned above. That is, the first stacker crane 7 that mainly performs the loading operation of the egg group G and the second stacker crane 7 that mainly performs the loading operation of the egg group G can be performed in parallel. It is possible to speed up the shipping work. In FIG. 6, the same reference numerals are given to the same or corresponding parts as those in the above-described embodiment, and the detailed description is omitted.

In addition to those classified according to the selected size, the equal classes may be grouped according to the day of egg laying and the type of chicken.

The setting device on the warehousing station side (and input work by the user) can be automated using an identifier such as a barcode and a reading device. The identifier may be attached to, for example, a tray or attached to a pallet for placing a plurality of trays together.

The embodiment disclosed this time is an example, and the present invention is not limited to this. The present invention is defined by the terms of the claims, rather than the scope described above, and is intended to include any modifications within the scope and meaning equivalent to the terms of the claims.

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY The present invention can be used in an automatic warehouse for temporarily stocking eggs selected by class and taking out eggs of a predetermined class when necessary.

2 ... Automatic warehouse 4a, 4b, 4c, 4d ... Warehousing station 5 ... Rack 51 ... Goods storage shelf 6a, 6b, 6c ... Shipping station 7 ... Stacker crane 8 ... Control device G ... Egg group E ... Egg

The automatic warehouse control device of the present invention is stored in a storage station for receiving eggs classified by equal class as an egg group for each equal class, a rack including a plurality of article storage shelves for storing the received egg group. A stacker crane that moves between a plurality of unloading stations that unload an egg group in response to a unloading request, and between the loading station, the article storage shelf, and the unloading station, and that transfers the egg group between these loading station, the article storage shelf, and the unloading station. In an automatic warehouse equipped with the above, the work of transferring the egg group carried into the storage station to the goods storage shelf, the work of transferring the egg group stored in the goods storage shelf to the delivery station, or between multiple goods storage shelves When deciding which of the tasks to relocate the egg group in step 3, the waiting time for storing the egg group in the immediately preceding process of the automatic warehouse Information or the goods issue residence information group of eggs in the next step as a reference, and determines whether to perform one of the tasks.

Claims (5)

A warehousing station that accepts eggs classified by isoclass as an egg group by isoclass,
A rack having a plurality of article storage shelves for storing the received egg group;
A plurality of delivery stations for delivering the stored eggs in response to a delivery request;
In an automatic warehouse equipped with a stacker crane that moves between the warehousing station, the article storage shelf and the delivery station, and transposes the eggs between the warehousing station, the article storage shelf and the delivery station,
When deciding on which storage shelves the egg group carried into the warehousing station is to be stored, past histories of at least one of the multiple evacuation stations or evacuation request information set by the user is used. A control device for an automatic warehouse, characterized by determining which article storage shelf to store. A warehousing station that accepts eggs classified by isoclass as an egg group by isoclass,
A rack having a plurality of article storage shelves for storing the received egg group;
A plurality of delivery stations for delivering the stored eggs in response to a delivery request;
In an automatic warehouse equipped with a stacker crane that moves between the warehousing station, the article storage shelf and the delivery station, and transposes the eggs between the warehousing station, the article storage shelf and the delivery station,
Work to transfer the egg group carried into the warehousing station to the article storage shelf, work to move the egg group stored in the article storage shelf to the warehousing station, or work to rearrange the egg group among multiple article storage shelves When deciding which work to perform, decide which work to perform by referring to the waiting information of the egg group in the immediately preceding process of the automatic warehouse or the information of the egg group leaving in the next process. A control device for an automatic warehouse. A warehousing station that accepts eggs classified by isoclass as an egg group by isoclass,
A rack having a plurality of article storage shelves for storing the received egg group;
A plurality of delivery stations for delivering the stored eggs in response to a delivery request;
In an automatic warehouse equipped with a stacker crane that moves between the warehousing station, the article storage shelf and the delivery station, and transposes the eggs between the warehousing station, the article storage shelf and the delivery station,
When moving an egg group stored in one article storage shelf to another one article storage shelf, refer to the past delivery history information of at least one delivery station among a plurality of delivery stations. A control device for an automatic warehouse, which determines whether to store in an article storage shelf. When determining which item storage shelves to store the egg group that has been carried into the warehousing station, the stacker crane acquires warehousing class information about the equal class of the egg group that has been carried into the warehousing station, and there are multiple exit stations. After comparing the class information included in the previous class output history information or the class information included in the output request information set by the user with the class information included in at least one of the output stations, etc. The automatic warehouse control device according to claim 1, wherein the automatic warehouse control device is controlled so as to be placed on an article storage shelf in the vicinity of a delivery station having the same class. The automatic warehouse control apparatus according to claim 1, 2, 3, or 4, wherein the automatic warehouse comprises a plurality of receiving stations.

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