JP2020164265A - Picking system - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a projection picking system that is more excellent in convenience than the conventional.SOLUTION: A picking system includes, in a PPS (1), a floodlight device (20) that, based on a command of a control unit for acquiring information about an object of picking within a facility, irradiates a predetermined shelf (90P) out of a plurality of shelves (90) for storing objects of picking (TT) in the facility with light (L) for projecting an image showing an operator a location corresponding to the information. The light (L) to the predetermined shelf (90P) has an illumination cycle of 4 times/second or more and 20 times/second or less.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

One aspect of the present disclosure relates to a picking system including a floodlight device (projector).

In facilities such as warehouses and factories, it is required to efficiently pick (sort) objects (eg luggage). Therefore, various picking techniques have been developed. As one of such picking techniques, a projection picking system (hereinafter, also simply referred to as “PPS”) is known. In PPS, the picking object is instructed to the operator by irradiating the predetermined position with light by the light projecting device.

As an example, Patent Document 1 discloses a technique for improving work efficiency in a sorting system. In the technique of Patent Document 1, the floodlight device is controlled so that the irradiation light continuously moves within the range corresponding to the storage space of the picking object.

JP-A-2018-154502

Aiko Sato, "Exaggeration of the brightness of blinking light and fluctuation of reaction", Psychology Research, 1969, Vol. 40, No. 5, p. 267-272

An object of one aspect of the present disclosure is to provide a PPS that is more convenient than before.

In order to solve the above problems, the picking system according to one aspect of the present disclosure is a picking system that instructs a picking object in a facility, and is a control device that acquires information about the picking object and the control. In order to project an image showing the operator the position corresponding to the above information on a predetermined storage member among a plurality of storage members for storing the picking object in the facility based on the instruction of the device. The light projecting device for emitting the above-mentioned light is provided, and the irradiation cycle of the light to the predetermined storage member is 4 times / second or more and 20 times / second or less.

According to the picking system according to one aspect of the present disclosure, it is possible to provide a PPS that is more convenient than the conventional one.

It is a functional block diagram which shows the structure of the main part of PPS of Embodiment 1. FIG. It is a figure for demonstrating the layout of the facility in Embodiment 1. FIG. It is a figure which shows the plane layout of the facility of FIG. It is a figure for demonstrating the structure of the light projecting apparatus of Embodiment 1. It is a figure for demonstrating the relationship between P0 and AXL on HP. It is a figure which shows an example of the visual perception characteristic disclosed in Non-Patent Document 1. (A) to (c) are diagrams for explaining one study result by the inventors. It is a figure which shows one modification of the shelf. It is a figure for demonstrating the PPS of Embodiment 2. (A) and (b) are diagrams for explaining the PPS of the third embodiment, respectively. It is a functional block diagram which shows the structure of the main part of PPS of Embodiment 4. It is a figure for demonstrating the structure of the light projecting apparatus 2 of Embodiment 4.

[Embodiment 1]
The PPS1 (picking system) of the first embodiment will be described below. For convenience, the members having the same functions as the members described in the first embodiment are designated by the same reference numerals in the following embodiments, and the description thereof will not be repeated. The description of the same matters as those of the known technology will be omitted as appropriate.

The device configuration shown in each figure is merely an example for convenience of explanation. Therefore, each member is not always drawn according to the actual scale. Further, the positional relationship of each member is not limited to the example of each figure. In each figure, some members may be omitted for convenience.

Furthermore, each numerical value described below in the specification is also merely an example. In this specification, the description "A to B" for the two numbers A and B means "more than or equal to A and less than or equal to B" unless otherwise specified.

(Overview of PPS1)
FIG. 1 is a functional block diagram showing a configuration of a main part of PPS1. PPS1 is an example of a picking system that instructs a picking object TT in a facility. In the following, "picking object TT" is also simply abbreviated as "TT". The same applies to other members.

The PPS 1 includes a control device 10 and a floodlight device 20. In the example of FIG. 1, a shelf unit 900 (storage member unit) composed of a plurality of shelves 90 (storage members) for storing TT is provided in the facility. In the following description, the shelf 90 in which the TT is stored is also referred to as a shelf 90P (see also FIG. 2 described later). The shelf 90P is an example of a predetermined shelf 90 in the shelf unit 900.

The control device 10 comprehensively controls each part of the PPS 1. The control device 10 includes a picking information acquisition unit 110, a light emission control unit 120, an object acquisition determination unit 130, and a rotation mechanism control unit 140.

The picking information acquisition unit 110 acquires picking information. The picking information collectively means information about TT. In the following example, it is assumed that the picking information includes information indicating the position of the shelf 90P (that is, information indicating which shelf 90 the TT is stored in). The picking information may further include at least one of (i) information indicating the type of TT and (ii) information indicating the number of TTs.

As an example, the facility manager inputs picking information using an input device (eg, terminal device) owned by the facility, and stores the picking information in a storage device (eg, server) (not shown) in the facility. Let me. In this case, the picking information acquisition unit 110 acquires picking information from the storage device. The control device 10 generates an image (hereinafter, IMG) indicating the position in the facility corresponding to the picking information to the operator.

The floodlight device 20 includes a light source 210 and a camera 220 (imaging device). As described below, the light projecting device 20 emits light (L) for projecting the IMG based on the command of the control device 10 (more specifically, the light emission control unit 120). Specifically, the floodlight device 20 emits L to the shelf 90P (see also FIG. 3 described later). The optical system (not shown) of the floodlight device 20 is configured so that the entire front surface of at least one shelf 90 (eg, the entire front surface of the shelf 90P) can be irradiated with L.

It is assumed that the vertical direction (height direction), the front-back direction (depth direction), and the left-right direction (width direction) are predetermined on the shelf 90. In the present specification, the front surface of the shelf 90 means "the surface of the shelf 90 provided with the SP". Therefore, when the worker intends to pick the TT, the worker faces the front surface of the shelf 90. By projecting the IMG on the front surface of the shelf 90, the operator can be guided to the TT position (the position of the shelf 90P).

The light source 210 is a light source that emits L. The light emission control unit 120 sets information regarding the irradiation condition of L (hereinafter, irradiation condition information) based on the picking information. Irradiation condition information includes, for example,
-Data indicating the position of the shelf 90P in the facility;
-Data that specifies the irradiation position of L at a certain time;
-Data that specifies the brightness of L;
-Data that specifies the magnification of IMG (data that specifies the spread angle of L):
It is included.

The light emission control unit 120 generates a drive signal for driving the light source 210 (hereinafter referred to as a light source drive signal) based on the irradiation condition information, and supplies the light source drive signal to the light source 210. The light source 210 emits L based on the light source drive signal.

(Example of facility layout)
FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining the layout of the facility of the first embodiment. As shown in FIG. 2, the shelf 90 is placed on the horizontal HP. The HP is an example of a surface (mounting surface) on which the shelf 90 is placed in the facility. The floodlight device 20 is attached to the ceiling CE parallel to the HP.

The control device 10 may be arranged so as to be able to communicate with the floodlight device 20. Therefore, the control device 10 may be arranged in a room (eg, an office room) different from the room (eg, in the warehouse) in which the floodlight device 20 and the shelf 90 are provided. Further, the server may be used as the control device 10.

In the following description, the height direction of the shelf 90 is represented as the Z direction. In the example of FIG. 2, the Z direction is the vertical direction. In the example of FIG. 2, the shelf 90 is composed of an upper shelf 90H and a lower shelf 90L. The height of the shelf 90 is 1.5 m. The shelf 90 is provided with a storage unit SP for storing the TT.

Further, the directions perpendicular to the Z direction are referred to as the X direction and the Y direction, respectively. In the example of FIG. 2, both HP and CE are parallel to the XY plane. In the following description, for convenience, it is assumed that the X direction and the Y direction are the depth direction and the width direction of the shelf 90, respectively.

As shown in FIG. 1, the PPS 1 includes a rotation mechanism 25 (first rotation mechanism) for rotating the floodlight device 20. As an example, the rotation mechanism 25 is a known turntable. The rotation mechanism control unit 140 rotates the floodlight device 20 around the central axis CA of FIG. 2 by driving the rotation mechanism 25. In the example of FIG. 2, CA is parallel to the Z direction. However, CA does not necessarily have to be orthogonal to HP. The CA may be oriented to intersect the HP.

In the following description, unless otherwise specified, "rotation" shall mean "360 ° rotation around the central axis CA". However, the rotatable angle range of the floodlight device 20 may be smaller than 360 °. This point is the same for the mirror 230 in the fourth embodiment. The "rotatable angle range of the light projecting device 20" can be rephrased as "the rotatable angle range of the optical axis AXL (described later) on the HP (on the XY plane)".

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a plan layout of the facility. In FIG. 3, two shelf units 900 are illustrated. Hereinafter, the shelf units 900 located on the left side and the right side of the paper surface of FIG. 3 are also referred to as a first shelf unit and a second shelf unit, respectively. In the example of FIG. 3, the shelf 90P belongs to the first shelf unit.

One shelf unit 900 is configured by arranging ten shelves 90 along the Y direction. Since the width of the shelf 90 is 50 cm, the width of the shelf unit 900 is 5 m. Further, the first shelf unit and the second shelf unit are each 1.5 m away from the CA (in other words, the center point of the floodlight device 20 in the HP) in the X direction. Therefore, the first shelf unit and the second shelf unit are separated by 3 m in the X direction.

As shown in FIG. 3, the floodlight device 20 rotates counterclockwise on the HP. In the first embodiment, the direction of the optical axis AXL of L can be changed as the light projecting device 20 rotates. That is, the optical axis AXL can be rotated on the HP. The floodlight device 20 can project the IMG only on the predetermined shelf 90 (eg, the shelf 90P) by rotating at a constant speed and irradiating L at a predetermined position (the IMG can be displayed). ..

By rotating the light projecting device 20 in this way, the direction of the AXL can be adjusted. Therefore, according to the light projecting device 20, the degree of freedom in the light emitting direction (light emitting direction) of L can be increased as compared with the conventional light projecting device (see also FIG. 7 described later). For example, any shelf 90 (eg, shelf 90P) belonging to the first shelf unit can be irradiated with L. Further, any shelf 90 belonging to the second shelf unit can be irradiated with L. Therefore, even when the shelf 90P belongs to the second shelf unit, the operator can be guided to the shelf 90P by L.

Here, the irradiation cycle of L on the shelf 90P is referred to as CYC1 (unit: times / second). In PPS1, the CYC1 is associated with the rotation speed (hereinafter, N1) of the floodlight device 20 on a one-to-one basis. Therefore, by appropriately setting N1, the shelf 90P can be irradiated with L by the desired CYC1. The unit of N1 in the following description is rps (rotations per second).

In the first embodiment, for convenience of explanation, CYC1 is set to a value equal to N1. In this case, for example, by setting N1 = 6 rps, CYC1 = 6 times / sec can be set. As will be described later, by setting CYC1 to 4 to 20 times / sec, it is possible to effectively give an instruction to the operator by L.

(Light projecting device 20)
FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining the configuration of the floodlight device 20. The light projecting device 20 is provided with a light emitting unit 225 (eg, an opening in which a lens (not shown) is arranged). The L emitted from the light source 210 passes through the light emitting unit 225 and is emitted to the outside of the light projecting device 20.

In the example of FIG. 4, the imaging direction (camera angle) of the camera 220 is provided so as to substantially coincide with the direction of the AXL. By capturing a moving image with the camera 220 oriented in this way, "whether or not the picking of the TT by the operator is completed" can be monitored by the camera 220.

However, the arrangement of the camera 220 is not limited to the example of FIG. For example, the camera 220 may be provided outside the floodlight device 20. As an example, the camera 220 may be attached to, for example, a CE. In this case, a plurality of cameras 220 may be attached to the CE. The camera angle may be fixed as long as the camera 220 is arranged so that the camera 220 can capture a moving image of the entire shelf unit 900.

However, it is preferable that the PPS 1 is provided with a mechanism for changing the camera angle (camera angle changing mechanism). This is because by making the camera angle variable, a wider range can be captured by one camera 220 as compared with the case where the camera angle is fixed.

As mentioned above, the floodlight device 20 is rotatable around the CA. Therefore, when viewed from a predetermined position (fixed position) (example: P0) defined in advance on the HP, the direction of the AXL changes with the passage of time. Therefore, with the passage of time, the direction of the light emitting unit 225 with respect to the Y direction (the direction of the AXL with respect to the Y direction) changes.

In the first embodiment, the Y direction can also be expressed as the longitudinal direction of the shelf unit 900 in the plan layout of the facility (that is, the arrangement direction of the plurality of shelves 90) (see FIG. 3). The rotation mechanism 25 is an example of a mechanism (light emission direction changing mechanism) that changes the direction of the light emitting unit 225 with respect to the Y direction on the XY plane (eg, on the HP).

The PPS 1 is provided with a light source tilt mechanism (not shown) that tilts the light source 210 on the XZ plane. By providing the light source tilt mechanism, for example, the irradiation position of L in the height direction can be set more flexibly.

FIG. 5 is a diagram for explaining the relationship between P0 and AXL on the HP. Strictly speaking, the AXL in FIG. 5 represents "a vector obtained by projecting the AXL in FIG. 4 onto the HP". In FIG. 5, a preset reference direction axis AX0 is shown on the HP. In the example of FIG. 5, AX0 is parallel to the X direction. Further, AX0 shall pass through P0. In FIG. 5, the angle formed by AXL and AX0 is represented as θ.

In the first embodiment, the floodlight device 20 is configured so that θ can be changed over a range of 0 ≦ θ <360 °. By rotating counterclockwise on the HP, θ increases monotonically with the passage of time. When the light projecting device 20 is rotated clockwise on the HP, θ decreases monotonically with the passage of time. In this way, the light emission direction changing mechanism can also be expressed as a mechanism for changing θ.

(Relationship between CYC1 and visual characteristics)
Various studies have been conducted on the visual characteristics of human light. As an example, Non-Patent Document 1 shows one research result on how the subjective brightness (hereinafter referred to as SL) of blinking light with respect to reference light (continuous light) differs. Specifically, Non-Patent Document 1 describes the relationship between the number of blinks of blinking light (flicker frequency of light) (hereinafter, ff) and SL.

FIG. 6 is a graph showing an example of the relationship between ff and SL shown in Non-Patent Document 1 (see Non-Patent Document 1 for the legend of FIG. 6). SL represents "the difference between the subjective brightness of blinking light and the brightness of continuous light". Therefore, in the graph of FIG. 6, "SL> 0 at a certain ff" means that "at the ff, the blinking light is felt brighter than the reference light". In the example of FIG. 6, the brightness of light is evaluated by the brightness (unit: cd / m ² ). In FIG. 6, the letter "L" is used as a symbol indicating brightness. The brightness of the reference light in the example of FIG. 6 is 11.23 mL.

As shown in FIG. 6, in the range where ff is about 20 Hz or less, SL tends to increase as ff decreases. Further, the maximum value of SL occurs in the range where ff is about 4 to 6 Hz. In the example of FIG. 6, SL is about 9 to 10 mL in this range. That is, in this range, the subjective brightness of the blinking light is nearly twice the brightness of the reference light. As described above, in the range of ff where SL is larger than 0 to some extent, it is possible to provide the observer with light having sufficient brightness even when the actual brightness of the blinking light is not so large.

By the way, as described above, in PPS1, the shelf 90P is irradiated with L by CYC1. That is, L is apparently a blinking light of the flicker frequency CYC1 when observed at the position of the shelf 90P. Based on this point, the inventors of the present application (hereinafter referred to as the inventors) newly stated that "by selecting CYC1 in consideration of the relationship shown in FIG. 6, the operator is provided with sufficiently bright light." I found a good idea. The appropriate range of CYC1 will be described later.

(Examination by the inventors)
The inventors further investigated the subjective brightness of light when reference light or flashing light was applied to PPS. FIG. 7 is a diagram for explaining the examination result. The shelf unit of FIG. 7 is referred to as a shelf unit 900r. Unlike the shelf unit 900, the shelf unit 900r is composed of five shelves 90.

Further, the light projecting devices (a) and (b) of FIG. 7 are referred to as a light projecting device 20r. The floodlight device 20r is an example of a conventional floodlight device. In the light projecting device 20r, unlike the light projecting device 20, the light emitting direction is fixed. The light projecting device 20r can adjust the spread angle of light. The floodlight device 20r emits continuous light. The PPS of FIGS. 7A and 7B is referred to as PPS1r.

On the other hand, the light projecting device of FIG. 7 (c) is referred to as a light projecting device 20V. The PPS in FIG. 7 (c) is referred to as PPS1V. The PPS 1V and the floodlight device 20V are examples of the PPS and the floodlight device according to one aspect of the present disclosure, respectively. Unlike the floodlight device 20r, the floodlight device 20V emits blinking light. However, in the light projecting device 20V, it is assumed that the light emitting direction is fixed as in the light projecting device 20r.

Hereinafter, the examples (a) to (c) of FIG. 7 will be referred to as the first to third examples, respectively. Further, in each of the first to third examples, the light emitted from the light projecting device 20r is referred to as light La to light Lc. In the first to third examples, it is assumed that the amount of light (lm · s) is constant.

(First example)
In the first example, the floodlight device 20r irradiates all the shelves 90 (five shelves 90) belonging to the shelf unit 900r with La as continuous light. In the following description, the subjective brightness of the worker with respect to La at the position of the shelf 90P (hereinafter, SS1) is considered as a reference for brightness.

(Second example)
In the second example, the floodlight device 20r irradiates the shelf 90P only with Lb as continuous light. More specifically, in the second example, the spread angle of continuous light is set to about 1/5 as compared with the first example. Therefore, in the second example, the subjective brightness of the operator with respect to Lb (hereinafter, SS2) at the position of the shelf 90P is about 5 times that of SS1.

(Third example)
In the third example, unlike the first and second examples, the floodlight device 20V irradiates Lc as blinking light. In the example of (c) of FIG. 7, the spread angle of Lc is set to be equal to the spread angle of Lb. The flicker frequency (ff) of Lc in the third example is 6 Hz. In this case, from the relationship of FIG. 6 described above, the subjective brightness of the operator with respect to Lc (hereinafter, SS3) at the position of the shelf 90P in the example of FIG. 7 (c) is about twice that of SS2. (Approximately 10 times that of SS1). As described above, according to the floodlight device 20V, it is possible to provide the operator with light having sufficient brightness.

As another example, consider the case where the spread angle of Lc is set to be equal to the spread angle of La. Further, it is assumed that a light-shielding member (mask) (not shown) is provided so that the four shelves 90 except the shelf 90P are not irradiated with Lc. In this case, the worker's subjective brightness with respect to Lc (hereinafter, SS3v) at the position of the shelf 90P is about twice that of SS1. As described above, even when the spread angle of Lc is set to about 5 times the spread angle of Lb, the subjective brightness can be improved.

(effect)
In order to improve the convenience of the PPS, it is preferable to set the range in which the picking object can be instructed to the operator (that is, the light irradiation range) as wide as possible. However, as shown in the first example, a conventional floodlight device (eg, floodlight device 20r) provides an operator with sufficiently bright light when the light spread angle is simply increased. Can not do it.

Further, the maximum value of the spread angle of the floodlight device 20r is limited by the design conditions of the optical system (eg, lens system) of the floodlight device 20r. Therefore, for example, it is difficult to set the spread angle wider than 180 °. Therefore, in the first example, it is also difficult to irradiate the opposite side of the optical axis of La with light.

By the way, in order to provide the operator with light having sufficient brightness, it is conceivable to reduce the spreading angle of the light as shown in the second example. However, in the second example, the irradiation range of light is further reduced as compared with the first example. Therefore, even in the second example, the convenience of PPS cannot be improved.

Based on these points, the inventors newly created a PPS (that is, PPS1V) equipped with a floodlight device 20V, as shown in the third example. As described above, by using the blinking light, it is possible to achieve both "improvement of subjective brightness" and "increase in light irradiation range" as compared with the conventional floodlight device.

In PPS1V, the floodlight device 20V irradiates the shelf 90P with Lc by the flicker frequency ff. Based on FIG. 6, the inventors have found a new idea of "setting ff1 to 4 to 20 Hz" (that is, setting the irradiation cycle of Lc to the shelf 90P to 4 to 20 times / sec). .. This is because, as shown in FIG. 6, SL becomes sufficiently large in the range of ff.

Furthermore, the inventors have found the idea that "it is more preferable to set ff to 4 to 12.5 Hz". This is because, as shown in FIG. 6, in the range of ff of 4 to 20 Hz, when ff is 12.5 Hz or less, SL becomes particularly large.

As described above, according to PPS1V, unlike the conventional PPS, (i) "realizing a wide light irradiation range" and (ii) "providing a worker with sufficient brightness of light". It is possible to realize both. That is, according to PPS1V, PPS that is more convenient than the conventional one is realized.

Furthermore, the inventors newly created a PPS (that is, PPS1) provided with a floodlight device 20 based on the PPS1V. The light projecting device 20 of PPS1 is different from the light projecting device 20V of PPS1V, and can change θ. Therefore, the degree of freedom in the light emitting direction can be increased as compared with the light projecting device 20V. In particular, in the example of the first embodiment, since the floodlight device 20 is rotatable around the CA, L is applied not only to the shelf 90 in the first shelf unit but also to the shelf 90 in the second shelf unit. Can be irradiated (see Figures 2-4).

Further, as described above, L in PPS1 is apparently blinking light of the flicker frequency CYC1 when observed at the position of the shelf 90P. Therefore, CYC1 in PPS1 may be set so as to correspond to a suitable numerical range (4 to 20 Hz) of ff in PPS1V. That is, CYC1 may be set to 4 to 20 times / sec. Further, as described above, CYC1 is more preferably set to 4 to 12.5 times / sec.

As an example, consider the case where the illuminance of L in the light source 210 is 4000 lm. In this case, in the layout of FIG. 3, the shelf 90 farthest from the floodlight device 20 (eg, the shelf 90 located on the lowermost side of the first shelf unit in FIG. 3) (hereinafter, the farthest shelf) is irradiated. The illuminance of L is about 1260 lm.

In this case, it was confirmed by the inventors that by setting CYC1 = 6 times / sec, the subjective illuminance of L observed at the position of the farthest shelf becomes about 2500 lm. That is, it was confirmed that the subjective brightness of the operator with respect to L was about twice the actual brightness of L, as in the example of FIG. 6 described above. Therefore, even when the farthest shelf is the shelf 90P, it is possible to provide light having sufficient brightness to the worker located near the farthest shelf.

As described above, according to PPS1, PPS which is more convenient than PPS1V is realized. By using a laser as the light source 210 (by using L as a laser beam), it is possible to reduce the attenuation of the brightness of L as the distance from the light source 210 increases. Therefore, the shelf 90 at a predetermined position can be irradiated with light having a higher brightness.

(Example of processing flow in PPS1)
An example of the processing flow in PPS1 is as follows. First, the light emission control unit 120 generates irradiation condition information based on the picking information acquired from the picking information acquisition unit 110. As described above, the picking information includes information indicating the position of the shelf 90P (in other words, the position of the TT). Further, it is assumed that the light emission control unit 120 has acquired the information of N1 designated by the rotation mechanism control unit 140 in advance.

Then, the light emission control unit supplies the light source drive signal generated based on the irradiation condition information to the light projecting device 20 (more specifically, the light source 210). Specifically, the light emission control unit 120 controls the light emission timing of the light source 210 so that the shelf 90P is irradiated with L based on the information indicating the position of the shelf 90P and the information of N1.

Further, the rotation mechanism control unit 140 rotates the floodlight device 20 at a predetermined rotation speed N1 (example: 6 rps) by driving the rotation mechanism 25. As a result, the shelf 90P can be irradiated with L by a predetermined CYC1 (example: 6 times / sec). That is, IMG1 can be projected on the shelf 90P.

As an example, the IMG1 may display information indicating at least one (preferably all) of a predetermined TT (current TT) article name, a TT control number, and the number of TTs to be acquired. Further, the IMG 1 may display information (example: worker name) that specifies a worker who should acquire the TT. Further, the IMG1 contains information indicating at least one (preferably all) position, direction, size, and number of the next TT (the shelf unit number or shelf number in which the next TT is housed). It may be displayed. By including the information about the following TT in IMG1, the work efficiency in PPS1 can be further increased.

The object acquisition determination unit 130 captures a moving image captured by the camera 220. The object acquisition determination unit 130 determines whether or not the picking of the TT by the operator is completed by analyzing the moving image. A known analysis method may be used for the determination process.

When the picking of the predetermined TT (current TT) by the worker is completed, the picking information acquisition unit 110 acquires the picking information corresponding to the next TT (new TT). Then, the control device generates a new IMG. After that, the above process is repeated. That is, an instruction is given to the worker for the new TT.

If there is no picking information corresponding to the new TT, no further instructions to the operator are required. Therefore, in such a case, the light emission control unit 120 stops the light source 210 (that is, quenches the light projecting device 20). Further, the rotation mechanism control unit 140 stops the rotation mechanism 25.

(Supplement)
As mentioned above, the rotatable angle range of the AXL may be less than 360 °. That is, θ does not necessarily have to change over the entire range of 0 ° <θ ≦ 360 °. As an example, the rotatable angle range of the AXL may be set so that any shelf 90 belonging to the first shelf unit can be irradiated with L. In this case as well, the same effect as described above is obtained. The rotatable angle range of the AXL may be appropriately selected according to the arrangement of the shelf units 900 in the facility.

[Modification example]
As described above, the IMG is projected on the shelf 90. Therefore, it is preferable that the shelves 90 (each of the upper shelf 90H and the lower shelf 90L) are configured to be suitable for improving the visibility of the operator with respect to the IMG1. FIG. 8 shows the shelf 90V as a variant of the upper shelf 90H or the lower shelf 90L.

On the front surface of the shelf 90V, four display units 910 (display areas) are provided so as to surround the SP. The display unit 910 generically represents the lower display unit 910a, the upper display unit 910b, the left side display unit 910c, and the right side display unit 910d. The display unit 910 is a surface on which L is irradiated (a surface that receives L) for displaying (projecting) the IMG1. Therefore, the display unit may be referred to as a "light receiving surface".

The display unit 910 is made of a material having a relatively high light reflectance with respect to visible light. As an example, PVC (polyvinyl chloride) can be used as the material. Therefore, the display unit 910 has a higher light reflectance with respect to L than the non-display unit of the shelf 90V (the remaining portion of the shelf 90V excluding the display unit 910). Further, it is preferable that a material (or structure) that scatters L is applied to the display unit 910.

The left side display unit 910c and the right side display unit 910d are each configured as a surface inclined in the left-right direction when viewed from the front surface of the shelf 90V. More specifically, the left side display portion 910c is a tapered surface forming an acute angle with the left side surface of the shelf 90V. The left side display unit 910c can also be expressed as a surface inclined to the left from the front to the rear of the shelf 90V. According to the left side display unit 910c, the visibility of the IMG from the left direction is improved. Similarly, the right side display unit 910d is a tapered surface forming an acute angle with the right side surface of the shelf 90V. The right side display unit 910d can also be expressed as a surface inclined to the right from the front to the rear of the shelf 90V. According to the right side display unit 910d, the visibility of the IMG from the right direction is improved.

[Embodiment 2]
FIG. 9 is a diagram for explaining PPS2 of the second embodiment. In the second embodiment, the arrangement and configuration of the shelf units in the facility are different from those in the first embodiment. Hereinafter, the shelf unit of the second embodiment will be referred to as a shelf unit 900A.

In the second embodiment, unlike the first embodiment, the shelf unit 900A is arranged on the side of a virtual regular polygon centered on the position of the floodlight device 20 on the HP. Ideally, each of the shelves 90 belonging to the shelf unit 900A is of a virtual circle (more specifically, the virtual regular polygonal circumscribed circle) centered on the position of the floodlight 20. It is placed on the circumference. In the example of FIG. 9, the radius of the virtual circle is 1.5 m.

In the example of FIG. 9, the shelf unit 900A is arranged on the side of the regular octagon. Specifically, one shelf unit 900A is arranged on each of the eight sides of the regular octagon. In the layout of FIG. 9, it is intended to provide a passage for the operator along the Y direction. Therefore, the shelf unit 900A is not arranged on the remaining two sides (on the two sides parallel to the X direction) among the eight sides of the regular octagon.

According to the layout of FIG. 9, the distances between the floodlight device 20 and the plurality of shelf units 900A are substantially equal. Therefore, even when the laser beam is not used as the light source 210, the average brightness of L irradiated on the predetermined shelf 90 (eg, shelf 90P) can be improved as compared with the first embodiment. .. Therefore, a brighter light can be provided to the operator.

[Embodiment 3]
10 (a) and 10 (b) are diagrams for explaining the PPS of the third embodiment, respectively. Hereinafter, the PPSs (a) and (b) in FIG. 10 will be referred to as PPS3A and 3B, respectively.

As shown in FIG. 10A, in PPS3A, shelf units 900 are arranged in each of the three sections (SEC1A to SEC3A) in the same layout as in the example of FIG. SEC1A to SEC3A are provided along the Y direction. The PPS3A is provided with a slide rail 300 (inter-section movement mechanism) for moving the floodlight device 20 in the Y direction.

By providing the slide rail 300, the floodlight device 20 can be moved into one desired section of SEC1A to SEC3A. Therefore, it is not necessary to provide a separate floodlight device 20 for each of the three sections. That is, since one floodlight device 20 can be shared in three sections, it is possible to suppress an increase in the cost of the PPS even when the PPS is applied to a relatively large-scale facility.

Further, in PPS3B, as shown in FIG. 10B, shelf units 900A are arranged in each of the three sections (SEC1B to SEC3B) in the same layout as the example of FIG. The PPS3B is also provided with the same slide rail 300 as the PPS3A. Therefore, PPS3B also has the same effect as PPS3A.

[Embodiment 4]
FIG. 11 is a functional block diagram showing a configuration of a main part of PPS4 of the fourth embodiment. The control device and the floodlight device of PPS4 are referred to as a control device 10A and a floodlight device 20A, respectively. The light source of the floodlight device 20A is referred to as a light source 210A. In the following description, it is assumed that the layout of the facility is the same as that of the first embodiment.

Unlike PPS1, PPS4 does not have a rotation mechanism 25. Therefore, in the control device 10A, the rotation mechanism control unit 140 is removed. Therefore, unlike the floodlight device 20, the floodlight device 20A itself is not rotatable around the CA. Instead, in PPS4, the floodlight device 20A includes a mirror 230 and a mirror drive mechanism 240 (second rotation mechanism). Further, the control device 10A includes a mirror drive mechanism control unit 150.

FIG. 12 is a diagram for explaining the configuration of the floodlight device 20A. The light source 210A is fixed at a predetermined position in the floodlight device 20A (eg, the central portion of the upper end of the floodlight device 20A). Hereinafter, the light emitted from the light source 210A and before being reflected by the mirror 230 is referred to as light L0 (first light). L0 can also be expressed as incident light on the mirror 230. Unlike the light projecting device 20, the light projecting device 20A is not provided with a light source tilt mechanism. Therefore, the direction of the optical axis (AXL0) of L0 is constant.

The mirror 230 is arranged so that it can receive L0. By reflecting L0, the mirror 230 guides the light reflected from the light source 210A to the light emitting unit 225. In the example of FIG. 12, L (light emitted to the outside of the floodlight device 20A) is reflected light in which L0 is reflected by the mirror 230. L in the fourth embodiment is also referred to as a second light.

The mirror drive mechanism 240 drives the mirror 230. As an example of the mirror drive mechanism 240, the mirror drive mechanism 240 includes a known rotation mechanism. The mirror drive mechanism control unit 150 controls the mirror drive mechanism 240.

As shown in FIG. 12, the mirror drive mechanism 240 rotates the mirror 230 around the CA at a predetermined rotational speed (eg, 6 rps). That is, the mirror drive mechanism 240 changes the direction of the mirror with respect to the Y direction (longitudinal direction of the shelf unit 900) on the XY plane (eg, on the HP). Therefore, it is possible to change θ by PPS4 as well as by PPS1. As a result, the same effect as that of the first embodiment is obtained.

As described above, the floodlight device according to one aspect of the present disclosure does not necessarily have to be configured to be rotatable. In PPS4, a change in θ can be realized (the direction of AXL can be adjusted) by using a mechanism (mirror drive mechanism 240) smaller than that of the rotation mechanism 25, so that the cost of PPS can be reduced.

Further, the mirror drive mechanism 240 includes a known tilt mechanism. The tilt mechanism is an example of a mechanism for changing the posture of the mirror 230 with respect to the light source 210A (mirror posture changing mechanism). In the example of FIG. 12, the mirror drive mechanism 240 tilts the mirror 230 on the XZ plane. As a result, the irradiation position of L in the height direction can be set more flexibly.

In the example of FIG. 12, θ changes within the range in which the light emitting unit 225 exists. Therefore, when irradiating a predetermined shelf 90 (eg, shelf 90P) belonging to the first shelf unit with light, the first shelf unit needs to be arranged in advance on the side of the light emitting unit 225. The number of shelves 90 constituting the first shelf unit is selected according to θ. By providing the light emitting unit 225 in the entire circumferential direction of the light projecting device 20A, θ can be changed in the entire range of 0 ≦ θ <360 °.

[Example of realization by software]
The control blocks (particularly the control devices 10 and 10A) of the PPSs 1 to 4 may be realized by a logic circuit (hardware) formed in an integrated circuit (IC chip) or the like, or may be realized by software.

In the latter case, PPSs 1 to 4 include a computer that executes the instructions of a program that is software that realizes each function. The computer includes, for example, at least one processor (control device) and at least one computer-readable recording medium that stores the program. Then, in the computer, the processor reads the program from the recording medium and executes the program, thereby achieving the object of one aspect of the present disclosure. As the processor, for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit) can be used. As the recording medium, in addition to a "non-temporary tangible medium" such as a ROM (Read Only Memory), a tape, a disk, a card, a semiconductor memory, a programmable logic circuit, or the like can be used. Further, a RAM (Random Access Memory) for expanding the above program may be further provided. Further, the program may be supplied to the computer via an arbitrary transmission medium (communication network, broadcast wave, etc.) capable of transmitting the program. It should be noted that one aspect of the present disclosure can also be realized in the form of a data signal embedded in a carrier wave, in which the program is embodied by electronic transmission.

[Additional notes]
One aspect of the present disclosure is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications can be made within the scope of the claims, and the technical means disclosed in the different embodiments can be appropriately combined. Also included in the technical scope of one aspect of the present disclosure. Furthermore, new technical features can be formed by combining the technical means disclosed in each embodiment.

1, 1V, 2, 3A, 3B, 4 PPS (picking system)
10, 10, 10A Control device 20, 20A, 20V Floodlight 25 Rotation mechanism (1st rotation mechanism)
90, 90V shelf (storage member)
90P shelf (predetermined storage member)
110 Picking information acquisition unit 120 Light emission control unit 140 Rotation mechanism control unit 150 Mirror drive mechanism control unit 210, 210A Light source 220 Camera 225 Light emission unit 230 Mirror 240 Mirror drive mechanism (second rotation mechanism)
900, 900A Shelf unit (storage unit)
910 Display (light receiving surface)
910c Left side display (left side light receiving surface)
910d Right display (left light receiving surface)
L light (light that passes through the light emitting part and irradiates the shelf, second light)
Optical axis of AXL light (second light) L0 light (light incident on the mirror, first light)
TT Picking object HP mounting surface CA central axis

Claims (5)

It is a picking system that indicates the picking object in the facility.
A control device that acquires information about the picking object and
Based on the command of the control device, an image showing an operator a position corresponding to the above information is projected on a predetermined storage member among a plurality of storage members for storing the picking object in the facility. It is equipped with a floodlight device that emits light for picking.
A picking system in which the irradiation cycle of the light to the predetermined storage member is 4 times / second or more and 20 times / second or less. The picking system according to claim 1, wherein the irradiation cycle of the light to the predetermined storage member is 12.5 times / sec or less. The picking system further includes a first rotation mechanism for rotating the floodlight around a central axis that intersects the mounting surfaces of the plurality of storage members.
The picking system according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the control device adjusts the direction of the optical axis of the light emitted from the light projecting device by driving the first rotation mechanism. The above floodlight device
A light source that is fixed at a predetermined position in the floodlight device and emits the first light,
It is provided with a mirror that emits the second light, which is the light reflected from the first light, to the outside of the floodlight as the light.
The picking system further includes a second rotation mechanism for rotating the mirror around a central axis that intersects the mounting surfaces of the plurality of storage members.
The picking system according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the control device adjusts the direction of the optical axis of the light emitted from the light projecting device by driving the second rotation mechanism. The front-rear direction and the left-right direction are predetermined for the storage member.
The storage member has a light receiving surface on which the image is projected by receiving the light.
The light receiving surface is
The left light receiving surface that inclines to the left from the front to the rear of the storage member,
The picking system according to any one of claims 1 to 4, which includes a right light receiving surface that is inclined to the right from the front to the rear of the storage member.

Images