JP2023055141A - Self-propelled conveyance device, conveyance system and method of controlling self-propelled conveyance device - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a technique for securing accuracy of conveyance and sorting of articles by a self-propelled conveyance device.SOLUTION: A first label indicating an article identifier for identifying each article is added to the label, and a second label indicating an article identifier of an article to be fed is added to each feed frontage of a shelf. A self-propelled conveyance device reads, by a first sensor, an article identifier from a first label added to an article to be fed, and also reads, by a second sensor, an article identifier from a second label added to the frontage. Then, the self-propelled conveyance device collates the article identifier read by the first sensor with the article identifier read by the second sensor to recognize the feed frontage having the same article identifier with the article to be fed, and also feed the article to be fed into the feed frontage having the same article identifier.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

The present invention relates to a transport system using a self-propelled transport device.

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, the number of cases where self-propelled transport devices are introduced at manufacturing and distribution sites is increasing. AGV (Automatic Guided Vehicle) and AMR (Autonomous
Mobile Robot) is known. An AGV, also called an unmanned vehicle or an unmanned transport robot, is a transport device that travels along a predetermined route following a guide such as a magnetic tape laid on the floor or a beacon attached to a wall. On the other hand, the AMR is also called an autonomous transport robot or a mobile robot, and is a transport device that autonomously selects an appropriate travel route while constantly recognizing its own position and the presence or absence of obstacles using sensors.

Patent Literature 1 discloses a system for transporting and sorting articles by an AMR equipped with a storage device and an article gripping device. Further, Patent Document 1 discloses a configuration in which an article gripping device is provided with an elevating unit so that an article can be grabbed from a shelf of an arbitrary height and an article can be placed on a shelf of an arbitrary height. ing.

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2021-100887

In the field of manufacturing and distribution, there is a high need for automation of the work of transporting articles to predetermined racks (also called racks or shooters) and sorting them into predetermined frontages for each article. However, in a transport system using a self-propelled transport device, it is not easy to ensure that "the correct article is thrown into the correct frontage without fail".

In the system proposed in Patent Literature 1, an ID tag is attached to each partition layer of a shelf for storing articles, and in a transport task sent from a host system to the AMR, the ID tag of the partition layer that goes to pick up the target article is attached. A method of specifying the However, this method is based on the premise that the correct article is placed on the partition layer with the ID specified by the transport task. In other words, if the wrong article is placed on the partition layer of the storage shelf for some reason (for example, human error by the operator), the wrong article is transported as it is. Also, if there is a mistake in the ID specification in the transport task from the host system, there is a possibility that the transport error of the article will occur.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a technique for ensuring accuracy in conveying and sorting articles by a self-propelled conveying apparatus.

The present disclosure is a self-propelled transport device that transports articles to a shelf having a plurality of loading frontages and loads the articles into the corresponding loading frontages, wherein the first A label is attached to each item, and a second label indicating the item identifier of the item to be added is attached to each input opening of the shelf, and the item identifier is read from the first label attached to the item to be added. A first sensor, a second sensor that reads an article identifier from a second label affixed to the inlet, and a comparison between the article identifier read by the first sensor and the article identifier read by the second sensor, a control unit for recognizing an entry frontage having the same article identifier as that of the article to be thrown in, and throwing the article to be thrown into the entry frontage having the same article identifier. including.

The plurality of loading frontages include loading frontages having different installation heights, and the self-propelled transport device further includes a table for holding the article to be loaded and an elevating unit for elevating the table. The control unit may control the elevating unit to match the height of the table with the installation height of the loading frontage into which the articles to be loaded are loaded.

The second sensor is attached to the table so as to move up and down together with the table, and the control unit gradually changes the height of the table by the lifting unit so that the height of the table is the same as that of the article to be thrown. By stopping the table at the height at which the article identifier is read by the second sensor, the height of the table may be matched with the installation height of the loading frontage into which the article to be loaded is loaded.

The table has a first feeding mechanism that feeds the articles on the table in a first direction, and a second feeding mechanism that feeds the articles on the table in a second direction orthogonal to the first direction. may

The control unit may position the article in the width direction of the loading frontage by the second feeding mechanism, and control sending the article to the loading frontage by the first feeding mechanism.

A guide may be provided on the table, and the article may be positioned by abutting the article against the guide by the second feed mechanism.

The self-propelled transport device may further have a stocker having a plurality of shelves capable of accommodating articles.

The first sensor is attached to the table so as to move up and down together with the table, and when the table receives an article to be thrown from the shelf of the stocker, the first sensor identifies the article identifier of the article. may be read.

A third sensor that reads an article identifier from a third label affixed to the reception frontage where the article is placed is attached to the table so as to move up and down together with the table. is gradually changed, and the table is stopped at the height at which the article identifier of the article to be conveyed is read by the third sensor, so that the height of the table is adjusted to the installation height of the reception frontage. The table may receive the article to be conveyed from the receiving frontage.

The second sensor may also serve as the third sensor.

The second label may include a one-dimensional code or a two-dimensional code representing an article identifier, and the second sensor may be a reader that reads the one-dimensional code or the two-dimensional code.

The first label may include a one-dimensional code or a two-dimensional code representing an article identifier, and the first sensor may be a reader that reads the one-dimensional code or the two-dimensional code.

The present disclosure includes a transport system comprising the self-propelled transport apparatus described above and a management system that sends a transport instruction to the self-propelled transport apparatus.

The present disclosure is a control method for a self-propelled transport device that conveys articles to a shelf having a plurality of input openings and inserts the articles into the corresponding input openings, wherein an article identifier for identifying an article is A first label indicating an article identifier is attached to each article, and a second label indicating an article identifier of the article to be thrown is attached to each opening of the shelf. reading an article identifier from a first label; reading an article identifier from a second label affixed to an entry frontage by a second sensor; reading the article identifier read by the first sensor and the article identifier read by the second sensor; recognizing an entry frontage having the same article identifier as the article to be thrown in by collating it with the article identifier, and throwing the article to be thrown into the entry frontage having the same article identifier. It includes a control method for a self-propelled carrier device.

The present invention may be regarded as a self-propelled transport device, an AMR, or a transport robot having at least part of the above means, or as a transport system having a self-propelled transport device and a management system. The present invention can also be regarded as a control method for a self-propelled transport apparatus including at least part of the above processing, a program for realizing such a method, or a recording medium recording the program. It should be noted that each of the means and processes described above can be combined with each other as much as possible to constitute the present invention.

ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, it is possible to ensure the accuracy of article conveyance and sorting by a self-propelled conveyance apparatus.

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a transport system as one application example of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of the mobile robot. FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of the article loading unit viewed from above. FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing the control configuration of the article loading unit. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing another configuration of the table. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing another configuration of the table. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing another configuration of the table. FIG. 8 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the management system. FIG. 9 is a chart diagram showing an example of a receiving action by the mobile robot. FIG. 10 is a chart diagram showing an example of the input operation by the mobile robot.

<Application example>
A conveying system as one application example of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG.

The transport system 1 is a system for automatically transporting and sorting articles at sites such as manufacturing and logistics. Consists of In the following, taking the transport task of "pick up the article O at the receiving place R, transport it to the throwing place D, and throw the article O into the corresponding frontage DM of the shooter S installed at the throwing place D" as an example, An outline of the operation of the transport system 1 will be described.

The management system 6 determines the type and number of necessary articles based on the production plan, inventory information, etc., and schedules transport tasks. Then, according to the transport task, the management system 6 sends a transport instruction to each self-propelled transport device 2 . The transport instruction includes, for example, an item identifier for identifying the item O to be transported, receipt information for specifying the receiving location R of the item O, and input information for specifying the input location D for the item O. included.

The item identifier may be any information that can uniquely identify the type of the item O, such as an item number, item name, type, manufacturing number, and the like. The reception information is information necessary for the operation of receiving the article O by the self-propelled transport device 2, and includes, for example, positional information of the reception frontage RM where the article O to be transported is placed. Here, as the positional information of the reception frontage RM, the information of the position of the reception frontage RM itself may be given, but the information of the position at which the self-propelled transport device 2 should stop when receiving the article O from the reception frontage RM may be given. It is preferable to give xy coordinates. The input information is information necessary for the transport operation and sorting operation of the articles O by the self-propelled transport device 2, and includes, for example, the position information of the input opening DM into which the articles O are to be input. The positional information of the loading frontage DM may also be the information of the position of the loading frontage DM itself, but it is preferable that it is the xy coordinates of the position at which the self-propelled transport device 2 should stop when the article O is loaded into the loading frontage DM. preferred. If it is necessary to specify the approach direction to the reception frontage RM or the insertion frontage DM, in addition to the xy coordinates, information specifying the approach direction or the orientation at the time of stopping may be given.

In a general factory or distribution site, there are a plurality of reception frontages RM and insertion frontages DM, and there are many combinations of reception frontages and frontages for introduction of articles O. FIG. Therefore, in order to carry out the transport and sorting of the articles O by the self-propelled transport device 2 without error, it is necessary to have a mechanism that can automatically check whether the frontage for receiving or throwing in the articles O is correct (first Theme).

In addition, as shown in FIG. 1, it is normal for a chute or a rack having a plurality of stages of input openings DM to be installed at the input location D, and the receiving location R also has an installation height (z height ) may be installed at different receiving frontages RM. Therefore, in order to automate the receiving and loading of articles O by the self-propelled transport device 2, it is necessary to enable delivery of articles O to a frontage with an arbitrary installation height (second problem), and A mechanism (third problem) is also desired that allows the self-propelled transport device 2 to recognize the three-dimensional position (xy coordinates and z height) of the frontage where the article O is delivered.

Therefore, in the present transport system 1, a label indicating the article identifier of the article O is attached to each of the reception frontage RM, the article O, and the insertion frontage DM (hereinafter, the label attached to the article O is referred to as article label OL (first label OL). A label attached to the input frontage DM is referred to as an input article label DL (second label), and a label attached to the reception frontage RM is referred to as a received article label RL (third label)). The self-propelled transport device 2 includes an article recognition sensor OS (first sensor) that reads the article identifier from the article label OL and an input article recognition sensor DS (second sensor) that reads the article identifier from the input article label DL. , and a receiving item recognition sensor RS (third sensor) for reading an item identifier from a receiving item label RL. It should be noted that the three types of sensors, ie, the article recognition sensor OS, the input article recognition sensor DS, and the received article recognition sensor RS, may be separately provided, or the same sensor may be provided, such as the input article recognition sensor DS also serving as the received article recognition sensor RS. can be used for multiple purposes.

When receiving the article O, the self-propelled transport device 2 reads the receiving article label RL at the receiving frontage RM by the receiving article recognition sensor RS, and identifies the article identifier indicated by the received article label RL and the conveying target article designated by the conveying instruction. By checking with the article identifier, the article O is received from the correct reception frontage RM. When an article O is to be thrown in, the article recognition sensor OS reads the article label OL of the article being thrown in by the self-propelled transport device 2, and the inserted article label DL at the frontage DM is read by the put-in article recognition sensor DS. , and the product identifier indicated by the product label OL and the product identifier indicated by the input product label DL, the correct product O is inserted into the correct input opening DM. Such a mechanism solves the first problem described above.

In addition, the self-propelled transport device 2 in the transport system 1 has a table 200 that holds an article O, a lifting unit 210 that lifts and lowers the table 200, and a control unit 20 that controls the table 200 and the lifting unit 210. there is When the article O is received or thrown in, the control unit 20 controls the lifting unit 210 to adjust the height of the table 200 according to the installation height of the reception frontage RM and the insertion frontage DM. It enables the delivery of the article O to and from the frontage. Such a mechanism solves the second problem described above.

Here, it is preferable that the receiving item recognition sensor RS is attached to the table 200 so as to move up and down together with the table 200 . For example, when receiving an article O, after the self-propelled transport device 2 moves to the position of the receiving opening RM according to the receiving information of the transport instruction, the control unit 20 controls the lifting unit 210 to gradually raise the height of the table 200. While changing (the lowest position may be gradually raised or the highest position may be gradually lowered), the reading result of the receiving item recognition sensor RS is monitored. Then, the height of (the detection range of) the receiving article recognition sensor RS and the height of (the display of the article identifier of) the receiving article label RL match, and the same article identifier as the article identifier specified in the transport instruction is read by the receiving article recognition sensor RS. At this timing, the control unit 20 stops the lifting unit 210 . According to such a mechanism, the self-propelled transport device 2 automatically recognizes the installation height of the reception frontage RM where the article to be transported is placed, and adjusts the height of the table 200 to the installation height of the reception frontage RM. can be automatically matched. The installation height of the receiving item label RL and the receiving item recognition sensor RS are attached so that the receiving item label RL is read at the timing when the mounting surface of the table 200 and the bottom surface of the receiving frontage RM are at exactly the same height. It is assumed that the position is determined in advance.

Similarly, it is preferable that the inserted article recognition sensor DS is attached to the table 200 so as to move up and down together with the table 200 . For example, when an article O is loaded, after the self-propelled transport device 2 moves to the position of the loading frontage DM according to the loading information of the transport instruction, the control unit 20 controls the lifting unit 210 to gradually raise the height of the table 200. While changing (either gradually raised from the lowest position or gradually lowered from the highest position), the reading result of the input article recognition sensor DS is monitored. Then, if the height of (the detection range of) the inserted article recognition sensor DS and the height of (the display of the article identifier of) the inserted article label DL match, and the article identifier of the article to be inserted read by the article recognition sensor OS is the same, then the inserted article is recognized. The control unit 20 stops the lifting unit 210 at the timing read by the sensor DS. According to such a mechanism, the self-propelled transport device 2 automatically recognizes the installation height of the loading frontage DM to which articles should be loaded, and automatically matches the height of the table 200 to the installation height of the loading frontage DM. can be made The installation height of the inserted article label DL and the inserted article recognition sensor DS are attached so that the inserted article label DL is read at the timing when the mounting surface of the table 200 and the bottom surface of the inserted article DM are just at the same height. It is assumed that the position is determined in advance.

By adopting such a mechanism, the third problem described above can also be solved. Moreover, the installation height (z height) of the frontage can be automatically recognized by the self-propelled transport device 2 itself, so that the installation height of the frontage can be included in the transport instruction given to the self-propelled transport device 2. It also has the advantage of eliminating the need to include information. In this case, there is no need to manage information on the installation height (z height) of the reception frontage RM and the insertion frontage DM on the host system side such as the management system 6 . Therefore, for example, even if the height of the frontage is changed according to the size of the item, it is sufficient for the site worker to simply change the installation height of the label. does not occur. Therefore, compared with the conventional one, the labor for changing the frontage is greatly reduced, and the operation is facilitated. Such simplification of the frontage change is of great practical merit for large-scale distribution sites with tens to thousands of frontages.

<Embodiment>
Next, an embodiment as a specific example of the present invention will be described.

(mobile robot)
FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of a mobile robot 2 as an example of a self-propelled transport device.

The mobile robot 2 is an AMR used to transport articles, and has a basic configuration including a drive unit having an electric motor, a battery, various sensors, a control unit 20, and the like. The mobile robot 2 estimates its own position based on the measurement results of a sensor such as a laser scanner, LiDAR, or camera and a pre-stored map, determines the route to the destination, and travels autonomously. A technique for estimating a self-position and creating a map using a sensor is called SLAM (Simultaneous Localization and Mapping).

An article loading unit 21 for loading a plurality of articles is mounted on the mobile robot 2 . The article loading unit 21 is composed of a table 200 for holding and delivering articles, an elevating unit 210 for raising and lowering the table 200, and a stocker 220 having a plurality of shelves 221 capable of accommodating articles. .

3 and 4 show configuration examples of the article loading unit 21. FIG. FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of the article loading unit 21 viewed from above, and FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing the control configuration of the article loading unit 21. As shown in FIG.

(table)
The table 200 includes a first feed mechanism 201 that feeds the article O on the table 200 in the front-rear direction (first direction), and a feed mechanism 201 that feeds the article O on the table 200 in the left-right direction (second direction perpendicular to the first direction). A second feed mechanism 202 is provided to feed the tape to the. The first feed mechanism 201 and the second feed mechanism 202 are composed of, for example, motor-driven rollers. By appropriately switching the roller to be driven and the direction of rotation thereof by the control unit 20, the article O on the table 200 can be freely moved in the four directions of front, back, left, and right.

A frontage collation sensor 203 is attached to the front side of the table 200 , and an article collation sensor 204 is attached to the rear side (stocker side) of the table 200 . The frontage verification sensor 203 is a sensor that plays the role of both the inserted article recognition sensor DS and the received article recognition sensor RS, and is a sensor for reading the labels installed at the entry frontage DM and the reception frontage RM. The article verification sensor 204 is a sensor that plays the role of the article recognition sensor OS described above, and is a sensor for reading the label attached to the article O itself. For example, when using a label in which an article identifier is displayed as a one-dimensional code (such as a bar code) or a two-dimensional code (such as a QR code), a sensor generally called a code reader may be used. There are two types of code readers: a laser scanner system and a camera system, but either system may be used.

A load sensor 205 for detecting the article O is also provided on the table 200 . As the presence sensor 205, for example, a photoelectric sensor or the like that detects the presence of the article O based on the presence or absence of light shielding can be used. In the example of FIG. 3, a convex guide 206 is provided on the left end of the upper surface of the table 200 (the surface on which the article O is placed). is configured to detect light shielding. When the article O is delivered from the table 200 to the input opening DM or the stocker 220, the article O is first moved by the second feed mechanism 202 until it hits the guide 206 (that is, until it is detected by the presence sensor 205). , the first feeding mechanism 201 may feed the article O. As shown in FIG. This enables the positioning of the article O in the left-right direction (width direction). Note that the height of the guide 206 may be appropriately designed according to the application and purpose. If the purpose is to position the article O and prevent it from falling off, the guide 206 should be sufficiently high. On the other hand, when it is desired to send the article O in the same direction after the article O is brought into contact with the guide 206 to adjust its position and posture, the guide 206 is moved so far that the article O can climb over the guide 206 by the biasing force of the feed mechanism 202 . It is good to set the height and shape of

The configuration of table 200 is not limited to that shown in FIG. For example, as shown in FIG. 5, guides 206L and 206F may be provided at a plurality of locations on the table 200, and load sensors 205L and 205F corresponding to each guide may be provided. According to the configuration of FIG. 5, after positioning the article O in the horizontal direction by the guide 206L and the inventory sensor 205L, the article O is sent forward or backward on the table 200, and the guide 206F and the inventory sensor 205L move the article O forward or backward. After positioning the article O in the front-rear direction by the sensor 205F, two types of transfer operations are possible: sending the article O to the left or right of the table 200. FIG. In the example of FIG. 5, two guides are provided on the left side and the front side of the table 200, but the number and positions of the guides can be set arbitrarily.

FIG. 6 shows an example in which a movable guide 206M is provided. This guide 206M has a mechanism that can change its position or posture by means of an actuator (not shown). takes a state parallel to the mounting surface of the table 200 (or retracted from the mounting surface). With such a mechanism, the degree of freedom in positioning and delivery of the article O can be increased. For example, by providing such movable guides 206M at a plurality of locations on the table 200, the guides used for positioning and the feeding direction may be flexibly switched according to the size of the article O and the entrance opening.

FIG. 7 is a configuration example of a guide for centering the article O on the table 200. As shown in FIG. In this example, guides 206L and 206R are provided on the left and right sides of the table 200, respectively. The two guides 206L and 206R are arranged so that the distance narrows toward the front end. Further, each of the guides 206L and 206R is biased toward the central axis of the table 200 by an elastic member (not shown). In this configuration, when the article O is placed between the two guides 206L and 206R and sent out in the forward direction of the table 200, the article O is sandwiched between the left and right guides 206L and 206R, so that the article O is centered in the center of the table 200. be done.

(stocker)
Returning to FIGS. 2 and 3, the configuration of the stocker 220 will be described. The stocker 220 is a storage shelf for temporarily storing articles to be transported. As in the example of FIG. 2, when a stocker 220 having four shelves 221 is used, the mobile robot 2 can simultaneously transport a total of five articles O, four to the stocker 220 and one to the table 200. becomes. Although it is not essential to provide the stocker 220, it is preferable to provide the stocker 220 from the viewpoint of improving the transportation efficiency. In this embodiment, the stocker with four shelf levels is used, and one article is stored in one shelf level, but the configuration of the stocker is not limited to this. Any number of shelves may be provided, and a plurality of articles may be accommodated in one shelf.

Each shelf 221 of the stocker 220 is provided with a roller 222 as a feed mechanism for feeding the article O. As shown in FIG. When storing the article O from the table 200 to the stocker 220, the height of the table 200 is made equal to the height of the shelf 221 of the storage destination by the elevating unit 210, and then the first feed mechanism 201 of the table 200 The article O is delivered to the stocker 220 side. By rotating the roller 222 of the stocker 220 forward (clockwise in FIG. 2), the article O is drawn onto the shelf 221 . Conversely, when taking out the article O from the stocker 220, after adjusting the height of the table 200 to the same height as the shelf 221 in which the article O is stored, the roller 222 of the stocker 220 is reversely rotated. The article O is delivered to the table 200 side. The article O can be picked up on the table 200 by picking it up by the first feeding mechanism 201 of the table 200 .

An article verification sensor 204 attached to the table 200 is used to read the article label of the article O stored in the stocker 220 . Thereby, different types of articles O can be mixed in the stocker 220 . For example, when four types of articles O with article identifiers A001, A002, A003, and A004 are stored in the stocker 220, if the article O with the article identifier A003 is to be thrown into the inlet DM, the lifting unit 210 While changing the height of the table 200, the article verification sensor 204 sequentially reads the article labels of the articles O stored in the shelves 221 of the stocker 220 to detect the article O with the article identifier A003. According to this configuration, the mobile robot 2 itself recognizes the type of the article O (article identifier) and selects the necessary article O without managing which article O is stored in which stage of the stocker 220. Since it can be taken out on the table 200, it is possible to prevent mistaking of the article O and to enable flexible operation. For example, while the mobile robot 2 is transporting, a worker adds an article to the stocker 220, takes out an article from the stocker 220, or replaces an article on the stocker 220. work is also possible.

(management system)
FIG. 8 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the management system 6 that manages the operation of the mobile robot 2. As shown in FIG. The management system 6 has an inventory information storage unit 60, a frontage information storage unit 61, a scheduling unit 62, a transport instruction transmission unit 63, etc. as main components.

The inventory information storage unit 60 stores inventory information indicating the inventory status of the articles placed on the shooters at the input location D. FIG. Inventory information includes, for example, item identifiers of items (item numbers, etc.), number of items (number of items currently placed), specified number of items (number of required items), shooter number (items placed number of the shooter), frontage No. (the number of the frontage where the article is placed), and the like. Inventory information will be updated in a timely manner.

The frontage information storage unit 61 stores frontage information on each frontage DM at the drop-in place D and frontage information on each reception frontage RM at the pick-up place R. FIG. The frontage information includes items such as shooter number, frontage number, and frontage position information (xy coordinates), for example.

The scheduling unit 62 schedules transport tasks by the mobile robot 2 based on delivery requests obtained from an external core system and inventory information managed by the inventory information storage unit 60 . For example, the delivery order (delivery order) is determined so that the operating rate and inventory amount of the mobile robots 2 are optimized. The transport instruction transmission unit 63 has a function of transmitting a transport instruction to the mobile robot 2 according to the transport task determined by the scheduling unit 62 .

The management system 6 can be configured by a computer system including a CPU (processor), memory, storage, and the like. In this case, each functional block shown in FIG. 8 is realized by loading the program stored in the storage into the memory and executing it by the CPU. The management system 6 may be composed of one computer, or may be composed of a plurality of computers. Moreover, some of the functional blocks shown in FIG. 8 may be implemented by cloud computing, or may be configured using an external core system or computer resources of the mobile robot 2 .

(receipt frontage)
A configuration example of the reception frontage RM will be described. In the example of FIG. 1, a receiving frontage RM is provided at the terminal end of the conveyor 30 that conveys the articles O. As shown in FIG. A sensor 31 is installed in the middle of the conveyor 30 for reading an article label OL (also called a packaging style label) attached to the article O, and a receiving article label RL is installed at the receiving frontage RM. . The receiving item label RL has a display unit such as a liquid crystal display or electronic paper, and is a device capable of dynamically rewriting displayed information.

For example, an article O discharged from a warehouse or a truck bed is conveyed by the conveyor 30 to the reception frontage RM. During the transportation process, the product identifier displayed on the product label OL is read by the sensor 31, and the information is transferred to the received product label RL. Based on the information received from the sensor 31, the received article label RL generates a code (bar code, two-dimensional code, etc.) representing an article identifier and displays it on the display unit. With such a mechanism, it is possible to automatically set the article O at the reception frontage RM and change the label RL of the article to be received.

(Inlet frontage)
A configuration example of the insertion frontage DM will be described. In the example of FIG. 1, a shooter S having a multi-stage charging frontage DM is installed at the charging place D. As shown in FIG. The shooter S is a shelf for temporary storage that is configured so that articles thrown in through the frontage DM can be taken out from the opposite side (back side). The shelf plate of each loading opening DM is inclined so as to gradually become lower toward the back, and the shelf plate is provided with a plurality of rollers that are driven to rotate. When the mobile robot 2 throws the article O into the entry frontage DM, the inclination of the shelf plate causes the article O to be sent to the back of the frontage DM. The number of stages, installation height, width, etc. of the inlet DM can be freely rearranged.

An input article label DL is installed at the input opening DM. The input article label DL has a display unit such as a liquid crystal display or electronic paper, and is a device capable of dynamically rewriting displayed information. For example, the code (bar code, two-dimensional code, etc.) displayed on the input article label DL is changed by the operator inputting an article identifier to the input article label DL. Alternatively, the input article label DL may have a communication module, and the management system 6 may send an article identifier rewriting signal to the input article label DL. In this embodiment, a device capable of rewriting display information is used, but as a simpler configuration, an input article label DL made of paper or a resin plate on which a bar code or two-dimensional code is statically printed can be used. may be used.

(Operation example)
FIG. 9 is a chart diagram showing an example of the receiving operation by the mobile robot 2. As shown in FIG.

(1) A delivery request for goods is sent from the core system to the management system 6 . The shipping request includes, for example, information on the receiving location R, an item identifier of the item to be transported, and the like.

(2) The management system 6 schedules transport tasks based on the delivery request and optimizes the order of receipt. For example, it is necessary to first supply articles whose stock amount is low at the input place D to the input front DM, to maximize the operation of the mobile robot 2, and to minimize the movement distance of the mobile robot 2. It is preferable to optimize the order of receipt by the mobile robot 2 with the following goals.

(3) A receipt instruction is sent from the management system 6 to the mobile robot 2 . This receiving instruction includes, for example, the position information of the receiving frontage RM, the item identifier of the item to be transported, and the like.

(4) The mobile robot 2 moves to the reception frontage RM according to the reception instruction.

(5) On the other hand, at the receiving location R, the preparation of the article to the receiving frontage RM, the transfer of the article identifier from the article label OL to the receiving article label RL at the receiving frontage RM, and the like are performed.

(6) When the mobile robot 2 stops in front of the reception frontage RM, it controls the lifting unit 210 to raise (or lower) the table 200 .

(7) The reception article label RL is read by the frontage matching sensor 203 of the mobile robot 2, and if it matches the article identifier of the article to be received, the table 200 stops rising (or lowering). As a result, the table 200 and the reception frontage RM are automatically aligned in the height direction.

(8) When a reception frontage RM with a matching article identifier is found, the article is loaded on the table 200 from that reception frontage RM.

(9) When the goods have been successfully loaded, the mobile robot 2 notifies the management system 6 of receipt completion. If no reception frontage RM with a matching article identifier is found, the mobile robot 2 notifies the management system 6 of reception failure.

The above processes (3) to (9) are repeated by the number of articles to be loaded on the mobile robot 2 . In the example of FIG. 9, the receipt instruction is sent to the mobile robot 2 for each item, but information necessary for receiving a plurality of items may be included in one receipt instruction.

FIG. 10 is a chart showing an example of the input operation by the mobile robot 2. As shown in FIG.

(10) A loading instruction is sent from the management system 6 to the mobile robot 2 loaded with the article. This input instruction includes, for example, the position information of the input frontage DM, the item identifier of the item to be input, and the like.

(11) If no article is placed on the table 200 , the article to be thrown is taken out from the stocker 220 onto the table 200 . At this time, by collating the article label OL attached to the article by the article collation sensor 204, it is ensured that the correct article is picked up on the table 200. FIG.

(12) The mobile robot 2 moves to the loading frontage DM according to the loading instruction.

(13) When the mobile robot 2 stops in front of the loading opening DM, it controls the lifting unit 210 to raise (or lower) the table 200 .

(14) The frontage collation sensor 203 of the mobile robot 2 reads the input item label DL, and if it matches the item identifier of the input target item, the table 200 stops moving up (or down). As a result, the table 200 and the loading opening DM are automatically aligned in the height direction.

(15) When an entry frontage DM with a matching article identifier is found, the article is thrown into the entry frontage DM from the table 200 .

(16) When the article has been successfully put in, the mobile robot 2 notifies the management system 6 of the completion of the throw-in. Note that if the entry frontage DM with the matching article identifier is not found, the mobile robot 2 notifies the management system 6 of the entry failure.

The above processes (10) to (15) are repeated by the number of articles loaded on the mobile robot 2 . In the example of FIG. 10, the input instruction is sent to the mobile robot 2 for each item, but information necessary for inputting a plurality of items may be included in one input instruction. Alternatively, the receiving instruction (3) and the loading instruction (10) may be collectively given to the mobile robot 2 as one transportation instruction.

According to the configuration described above, the mobile robot 2 can accurately transport and sort articles.

<Others>
The above-described embodiment is merely an example of the configuration of the present invention. The present invention is not limited to the specific forms described above, and various modifications are possible within the technical scope of the present invention. For example, an AGV may be used as the self-propelled transport device instead of the AMR. Also, the mechanism of the lifting unit 210 is arbitrary. For example, a zip chain actuator, an electric cylinder, or the like may be used. Moreover, the present invention is suitable for a site where there are a plurality of receiving frontages and/or charging frontages, but it can also be applied to a case where there is only one receiving frontage or one charging frontage.

<Appendix>
1. A self-propelled conveying device (2) that conveys articles (O) to a shelf (S) having a plurality of input openings (DM) and inserts the articles (O) into the corresponding input openings (DM). hand,
A first label (OL) indicating an article identifier for identifying the article (O) is attached to each article (O), and a second label (DL) indicating the article identifier of the article (O) to be put in is attached. Attached to each shelf opening (DM),
a first sensor (204) that reads an article identifier from a first label (OL) attached to an article (O) to be thrown;
a second sensor (203) for reading an article identifier from a second label (DL) attached to the entrance (DM);
By comparing the article identifier read by the first sensor (204) and the article identifier read by the second sensor (203), the entry frontage (DM) having the same article identifier as the article (O) to be thrown in ) and throws the article (O) to be thrown into an entry frontage (DM) having the same article identifier;
A self-propelled transport device (2) comprising:

1: Transport system 2: Self-propelled transport device (mobile robot)
6: Management system 20: Control unit 21: Article loading unit 200: Table 210: Elevating unit D: Input location DL: Input article label DM: Input frontage DS: Input article recognition sensor O: Article OL: Article label OS: Article recognition Sensor R: Receiving location RL: Receiving article label RM: Receiving frontage RS: Receiving article recognition sensor

Claims (14)

A self-propelled conveying device that conveys articles to a shelf having a plurality of input openings and inserts the articles into the corresponding input openings,
A first label indicating an article identifier for identifying an article is attached to each article, and a second label indicating an article identifier of an article to be thrown is attached to each loading opening of the shelf,
a first sensor that reads an article identifier from a first label attached to an article to be thrown;
a second sensor that reads an article identifier from a second label attached to the entrance;
By collating the article identifier read by the first sensor and the article identifier read by the second sensor, the introduction frontage having the same article identifier as the article to be thrown in is recognized, and the article to be thrown in is the same. a control unit for loading into the loading frontage having the item identifier;
A self-propelled transport device comprising: The plurality of input frontages include input frontages with different installation heights,
The self-propelled transport device further includes a table for holding the articles to be thrown in, and an elevating unit for elevating the table,
2. The self-propelled article according to claim 1, wherein the control unit controls the lifting unit to match the height of the table with the installation height of the loading frontage into which the article to be loaded is loaded. type carrier. The second sensor is attached to the table so as to move up and down together with the table,
The control unit gradually changes the height of the table by the elevating unit, and stops the table at the height at which the second sensor reads the same item identifier as the item to be thrown. 3. The self-propelled conveying apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the height of the table is matched with the installation height of the loading frontage into which the article to be loaded is loaded. The table has a first feed mechanism that feeds the articles on the table in a first direction, and a second feed mechanism that feeds the articles on the table in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction. The self-propelled transport apparatus according to claim 2 or 3, characterized by: 5. The control unit according to claim 4, wherein the second feed mechanism positions the article in the width direction of the entry frontage, and the first feed mechanism controls the delivery of the article to the entry frontage. A self-propelled transport device as described. 6. The self-propelled conveying apparatus according to claim 5, wherein a guide is provided on said table, and said article is positioned by abutting said article against said guide by said second feeding mechanism. 7. The self-propelled transport apparatus according to any one of claims 2 to 6, further comprising a stocker having a plurality of shelves capable of storing articles. The first sensor is attached to the table so as to move up and down together with the table,
8. The self-propelled transport apparatus according to claim 7, wherein when said table receives an article to be put in from the shelf of said stocker, said first sensor reads an article identifier of said article. A third sensor that reads an article identifier from a third label attached to the reception frontage where the article is placed is attached to the table so as to move up and down together with the table,
The control unit gradually changes the height of the table by the elevating unit, and stops the table at the height at which the article identifier of the article to be conveyed is read by the third sensor. The self-propelled vehicle according to any one of claims 2 to 8, characterized in that the height of the table is matched to the installation height of the reception frontage, and the article to be conveyed is received from the reception frontage by the table. type carrier. 10. The self-propelled transport apparatus according to claim 9, wherein said second sensor also serves as said third sensor. The second label includes a one-dimensional code or a two-dimensional code representing an article identifier,
The self-propelled transport apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein the second sensor is a reader that reads a one-dimensional code or a two-dimensional code. The first label includes a one-dimensional code or a two-dimensional code representing an article identifier,
The self-propelled transport apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 11, wherein the first sensor is a reader that reads a one-dimensional code or a two-dimensional code. A self-propelled transport device according to any one of claims 1 to 12;
a management system that sends a transport instruction to the self-propelled transport device;
A transport system comprising: A control method for a self-propelled conveying device that conveys articles to a shelf having a plurality of input openings and inserts the articles into the corresponding input openings,
A first label indicating an article identifier for identifying an article is attached to each article, and a second label indicating an article identifier of an article to be thrown is attached to each loading opening of the shelf,
reading an item identifier from a first label attached to the item to be dropped by a first sensor;
reading an item identifier from a second label attached to the input frontage by a second sensor;
By collating the article identifier read by the first sensor and the article identifier read by the second sensor, the introduction frontage having the same article identifier as the article to be thrown in is recognized, and the article to be thrown in is the same. inputting into an input frontage having an item identifier;
A control method for a self-propelled carrier, comprising:

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