JP2023065916A - Conveyance system and method - Google Patents

Abstract

To improve conveying efficiency of a conveyed article in a plurality of stages of areas set in a storage space of the conveyed article.SOLUTION: A conveyed article disposed in a first area in which prescribed work for the conveyed article is carried out is conveyed by a first conveyance device, and a conveyed article disposed in a second area located higher than the first area is conveyed by a second conveyance device. A control device controls a conveying task allocated to each of the traveling first and second conveyance devices. In the second area, a passage of the second conveyance device is provided. The control device controls a moving direction in the conveying task allocated to the second conveyance device to move the second conveyance device on the basis of the extending direction of the passage of the second area.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention generally relates to a technique for conveying an object by traveling a conveying device.

As a background art of this technical field, there is a technique related to an AGV (Automatic Guided Vehicle) that transports a shelf to a destination, such as the technique disclosed in Patent Document 1.

WO2015/097736

In order to improve the storage efficiency of goods in a goods storage space (e.g. warehouse) (or for other purposes), the space is provided with multiple tiered areas, each of which contains goods. can be considered. Specifically, for example, a mezzanine is installed in a warehouse, and goods to be transported can be arranged in each of the area above the mezzanine and the area above the floor of the warehouse including the area below the mezzanine. The number of stages of areas may be two or more than two.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to improve the efficiency of conveying articles in a multi-level area provided in a storage space for articles.

A transport system includes a first transport device that transports a transport object placed in the first area by traveling in the first area according to the assigned transport task, and a second area according to the assigned transport task. a second conveying device for conveying an article placed in a second area by traveling through the inter-area conveying machine for conveying an article to be conveyed between the first area and the second area; and a control device for controlling a transport task assigned to each of the second transport devices. The first area and the second area are present in the storage space for the transported goods. The first area is an area where predetermined work is performed on the conveyed goods. The second area is located in an area higher than the first area. The transport task assigned to each of the first and second transport devices includes the direction of movement of the transport device. The second area is provided with a passageway for a second conveying device. The control device controls the movement direction in the transport task assigned to the second transport device for movement of the second transport device based on the extending direction of the path in the second area.

ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, the conveyance efficiency of the goods can be improved in the multistage area provided in the goods storage space. Problems, configurations, and effects other than those described above will be clarified by the following description of the mode for carrying out the invention.

1 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of a transport system according to an embodiment; FIG. FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram of the configuration of a first stage area; FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram of the configuration of a second stage area; It is a figure which shows an example of the division in a 2nd step area. It is a figure which shows another example of the division in a 2nd step area. It is a perspective view which shows the external appearance structure of a conveying apparatus. It is a top view which shows the bottom surface structure of a conveying apparatus. It is a figure where it uses for description of conveyance of the shelf in a 1st stage area. It is a figure where it uses for description of conveyance of the shelf from the 2nd step area to the 1st step area. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a part of a specific configuration example of elements in the transport system; FIG. 11 shows the rest of the illustrative configuration of the elements in the transport system; It is a figure which shows the structural example of an order table. It is a figure which shows the structural example of an inventory table. It is a figure which shows the structural example of a shelf table. It is a figure which shows the structural example of an apparatus conveyance table. It is a figure which shows the structural example of a shelf conveyance table. It is a figure which shows the structural example of a vertical conveyance table. It is a figure which shows the structural example of a picking table. It is a figure which shows the structural example of a floor table. FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of a boundary table; 4 is a flowchart showing the flow of transport control processing; It is a flowchart which shows the flow of a shelf arrangement layout change process. 10 is a flow chart showing the flow of shelf storage position change processing. It is a figure which shows another structural example of a floor table.

In the following description, an "interface device" may be one or more interface devices. The one or more interface devices may be at least one of the following:
- One or more I/O (Input/Output) interface devices. An I/O (Input/Output) interface device is an interface device for at least one of an I/O device and a remote display computer. The I/O interface device to the display computer may be a communications interface device. The at least one I/O device may be any of a user interface device, eg, an input device such as a keyboard and pointing device, and an output device such as a display device.
- One or more communication interface devices. The one or more communication interface devices may be one or more of the same type of communication interface device (e.g., one or more NICs (Network Interface Cards)) or two or more different types of communication interface devices (e.g., NIC and It may be an HBA (Host Bus Adapter).

Also, in the following description, "memory" refers to one or more memory devices, which are examples of one or more storage devices, and may typically be a main memory device. At least one memory device in the memory may be a volatile memory device or a non-volatile memory device.

Also, in the following description, "persistent storage" may be one or more persistent storage devices, which is an example of one or more storage devices. A permanent storage device may typically be a non-volatile storage device (eg, an auxiliary storage device). Memory Express) drive or SCM (Storage Class Memory).

Also, in the following description, "storage" may be at least memory of memory and persistent storage.

Also, in the following description, a "processor" may be one or more processor devices. The at least one processor device may typically be a microprocessor device such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit), but may be another type of processor device such as a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit). At least one processor device may be single-core or multi-core. At least one processor device may be a processor core. At least one processor device is a circuit (for example, FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array), CPLD (Complex Programmable Logic Device) or ASIC (Application A processor device in a broad sense such as Specific Integrated Circuit)) may also be used.

In the following description, the expression "xxx table" may be used to describe information that provides an output for an input. It may be structured data or unstructured data), or it may be a learning model represented by a neural network, genetic algorithm, or random forest that generates an output in response to an input. Therefore, the "xxx table" can be called "xxx information". Also, in the following description, the configuration of each table is an example, and one table may be divided into two or more tables, or all or part of two or more tables may be one table. may

Further, in the following description, the processing may be described with the subject of "program", but the program is executed by the processor to perform the predetermined processing as appropriate using the storage device and / or the interface device. The subject of processing may be a processor (or a device or system having the processor). A program may be installed on a device, such as a computer, from a program source. The program source may be, for example, a program distribution server or a computer-readable recording medium (eg, non-temporary recording medium). Also, in the following description, two or more programs may be implemented as one program, and one program may be implemented as two or more programs.

Arbitrary information (for example, at least one of "ID", "name", and "number") may be adopted as the information (identification information, identifier) for identifying the element.

Further, in the following description, common reference numerals are used when similar elements are described without distinguishing between them, and reference symbols are used when similar elements are described separately. be.

Also, in the following description, the unit of "date and time" may be a coarser unit or a finer unit than year, month, day, hour, minute.

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of a transport system according to an embodiment. For convenience, the two-dimensional direction is defined as the x direction and the y direction orthogonal to the x direction.

The transport system includes a plurality of transport devices 3 that travel within a warehouse 2 (an example of a storage space), and a control device 4 that remotely controls movement of each transport device 3 . In the present embodiment, “moving” of the conveying device 3 represents general movement of the conveying device 3 regardless of the presence or absence of the shelf 5 . “Movement” of the conveying device 3 may be rephrased as “running” of the conveying device 3 . "Movement" in the state in which the carrier device 3 has the shelf 5 is particularly called "transportation". The shelf 5 is an example of an object that can be transported by the transport device 3 . Instead of or in addition to the shelf 5, objects such as trays, pallets or containers may be examples of conveyed objects.

The warehouse 2 is, for example, a storehouse used by a company such as an online shopping company to store articles. The articles stored in the warehouse 2 may be commodities or parts. In this embodiment, an example of a product will be described as an example of an article stored in the warehouse 2. FIG. The warehouse 2 is provided with a multistage area 122 and a vertical conveyor 202 .

The multistage area 122 is an example of multiple stages of areas located at different heights. The multistage area 122 has a first stage area 200A and a second stage area 200B. A plurality of shelves 5 are movably installed in each of the plurality of areas 200</b>A and 200</b>B that constitute the multistage area 122 . It should be noted that the same type of article need not be arranged in all areas 200 . For example, the shelf 5 may be arranged in the first stage area 200A and the pallet may be arranged in the second stage area 200B. Each shelf 5 stores one or a plurality of articles (for example, each article to be sold) at a predetermined position. The shelf 5 is sometimes called a mobile shelf.

The first stage area 200A is an example of a first area, and an example of a main area in which the conveying device 3 travels. The shelf 5 can be transported to the picking station 6 by the transport device 3 running in the first stage area 200A. The first stage area 200A is an area as the entire floor surface of the warehouse 2 or a part thereof. Picking is performed at the picking station 6, and the picking is an example of a predetermined work related to the goods to be conveyed. For example, the picking station 6 may perform warehousing work such as replenishment of products to the shelf 5 and ancillary work such as inventory, and may simply be called a station.

When the transport device 3 transports to the picking station 6, the transport destination (target position) is a predetermined position where the worker or the picking device can pick at the picking station 6 (for example, the section in front of the picking station 6). It may be at any other predetermined position relative to the picking station 6 . For example, if there is another shelf 5 in the section in front of the picking station 6, it may be a waiting position in front of or around the picking station 6, or a shelf in the section in front of the picking station 6. If there is a transfer facility (conveyor, etc.) of No. 5, it may be a transfer place for the shelf 5 to the transfer facility.

Similarly, when the transport device 3 transports from the picking station 6, the transport source (starting position) is a predetermined position at the picking station 6 where a worker or a picking device can pick (for example, a section in front of the picking station 6). , or other predetermined positions with respect to the picking station 6 . Another example of the predetermined position may be a place to receive the shelf 5 from the transportation equipment (conveyor, etc.) in the section in front of the picking station 6, for example.

The second stage area 200B is an example of a second area, and an example of a sub-area in which the conveying device 3 travels. In this embodiment, the second stage area 200B is an area on the mezzanine. A wall or fence 191 may be provided surrounding the second tier area 200B. In addition, a conveyor, which is an example of a carrier, may be provided in the second-stage area 200B to transport the shelf 5 arranged in the second-stage area 200B.

Vertical transport 202 is an example of an inter-area transport. The vertical carrier 202 is a carrier that moves up and down in the vertical direction. Specifically, the vertical conveying machine 202 descends to convey the shelf 5 from the second area 200B to the first area 200A (or to convey the shelf 5 from the first area 200A to the second area 200B). in the first stage area 200A). In addition, the vertical conveying machine 202 conveys the shelf 5 from the first stage area 200A to the second stage area 200B by going up (or two stages of the shelf conveyed from the second stage area 200B to the first stage area 200A). Wait in eye area 200B). Vertical transport 202 may be, for example, an elevator or a car in an elevator. Also, the vertical transfer machine 202 can be replaced by another inter-area transfer machine such as a forklift capable of transporting the shelf 5 in the vertical direction.

When each transport device 3 receives a movement instruction associated with a transport task assigned to the transport device 3, each transport device 3 moves the shelf 5 existing in the first-stage area 200A or the second-stage area 200B according to the movement instruction. transport. According to the example shown in FIG. 1, it is as follows.
- The conveying device 3A that has finished conveying the shelf 5A to the picking station 6 is waiting for the completion of picking the products on the shelf 5A. After the worker or the picking device finishes picking at the picking station 6, the transport device 3A transports the shelf 5A from the picking station 6 to the storage position of the shelf 5A.
- The transport device 3B that transports the shelf 5B to the picking station 6 is waiting for the transport device 3A to move. When the transport device 3A moves from the picking station 6, the transport device 3B can transport the shelf 5B to the picking station 6. FIG.
- The transport device 3C is moving to transport the shelf 5C transported to the first stage area 200A by the vertical transport machine 202 .
- The transport device 3D is moving in order to transport the shelf 5D whose arrangement position is the first stage area 200A.
- The transport device 3E is running in the second stage area 200B.
- The height of any transport device 3 is lower than the height of the pedestal 192 , and any transport device 3 can pass under the pedestal 192 .
- Both the target position and the starting position are on the second stage area 200B in the movement of the transport device 3 in the second stage area 200B. Similarly, in the movement of the transport device 3 in the first stage area 200A, both the target position and the starting position are on the first stage area 200A.

In the second stage area 200B, a stand 192 is provided in front of the entrance/exit of the shelf 5 with respect to the vertical conveyor 202. As shown in FIG. In addition, in the second stage area 200B, a column of pedestals (the pedestals 192 aligned in the x direction) are arranged along the y direction. The shelf 5 is mounted on the frame 192 . Also in the first stage area 200A, a stand 192 is provided at a position where the shelf 5 is placed (for example, in front of the doorway of the shelf 5 with respect to the vertical conveyor 202 and at the storage position of the shelf 5).

In the second stage area 200B, rack rows L1 to L5 are arranged from the vertical transfer machine 202. As shown in FIG. A shelf row Ln (n=1, 2, . . . , 5) is a row of shelves 5 arranged in the x direction. The second stage area 200B has a high-density placement area and a low-density placement area. The high density placement area is located farther from the vertical conveyor 202 than the low density placement area. A "high-density arrangement area" is defined as a plurality of shelves 5 and a shelf 5E surrounded by the plurality of shelves 5 are arranged, and at least one shelf among the plurality of shelves 5 (for example, a shelf 5F) is an area that requires movement. On the other hand, the “low-density placement region” is a region in which one or more shelves 5 are arranged and surrounded by a plurality of shelves 5 and no shelf 5 exists. Shelf rows L3-L5 are in the high-density placement region, and shelf rows L1-L2 are in the low-density placement region.

For example, at least one of the following may be adopted in the present embodiment.
• There may be multiple vertical transporters 202 . Each vertical conveyor 202 may move up and down the shelf 5, or some of the vertical conveyors 202 may be dedicated to going up and the rest of the vertical conveyors 202 may be dedicated to going down.
- The shelf 5 and the mount 192 may be integrated. The article (including the shelf 5) may be a legged article (legged article) or a legless article (legless article). A transported object without legs is stored on the pedestal 192 . Conveyances with legs may be stored in a storage position without cradle 192 . Regardless of whether the object to be conveyed is an object with legs or an object without legs stored on the pedestal 192, the conveying device 3 enters under the object, lifts the object, and conveys it. It is possible. If all the items to be transported have legs and the transport device 3 can be placed under the items to lift and transport the items, the pedestal 192 may not be provided.
・In addition, the frame 192 has a structure for supporting the transported object so that a space for the transporting device 3 to enter under the transported object is created so that the transporting device 3 can enter under the transported object and lift the transported object. Any object may be used, and the structure is not limited to that illustrated in FIG. The pedestal 192 may also be called a support, a transported object storage facility, or a transported object support facility.
- The vertical conveyor 202 may raise and lower the conveyor 3 together with the shelf 5 . Specifically, when the shelf 5 is moved between the first stage area 200A and the second stage area 200B, one of the starting position and the destination position is in the first stage area 200A and the other is in the second stage area 200B, In the movement of the transport device 3 from the starting position to the destination position, the vertical transporter 202 may be part of the movement path of the transport device 3 .

FIG. 2A is an explanatory diagram of the configuration of the first stage area 200A. FIG. 2B is an explanatory diagram of the configuration of the second stage area 200B. According to the example shown in FIGS. 1, 2A, and 2B, the first-stage area 200A and the second-stage area 200B overlap in plan view, but they do not necessarily have to overlap. Also, FIGS. 2A and 2B schematically illustrate areas 200A and 200B, and the areas 200A and 200B illustrated in FIGS. 2A and 2B are completely different from the areas 200A and 200B illustrated in FIG. do not match.

The first stage area 200A is divided into a plurality of rectangular sections 201 of a predetermined size and managed. Hereinafter, the partition 201 (and the partition 251 to be described later) may be referred to as partitions (α, β, γ). α is the x coordinate (section position along the x direction), β is the y coordinate (section position along the y direction), and γ is the z coordinate (area position in the height direction). In this embodiment, the value of γ is "1" (first stage area) or "2" (second stage area).

A marker (not shown) indicating the position of the section 201 may be written in each section 201 . The marker may contain information for specifying the position of the section, for example, the position information of the section, or information associated with the position information of the section (for example, identification information of the section 201, etc.). ). The marker is information that can be read by the sensor 14 of the transport device 3, and may be information such as a one-dimensional code, a two-dimensional code such as a QR code (registered trademark), or an RFID (radio frequency identifier) tag. In this embodiment, a QR code (registered trademark) will be described as an example of the marker. For example, the transport device 3 reads the markers in each section 201 as it passes through that section 201 . Each conveying device 3 transmits the identification information of the conveying device 3 and the information of the read marker to the control device 4 . The control device 4 identifies the position of each transport device 3 based on the identification information of the transport device 3 and the marker information received from each transport device 3 . A plate-like member may be provided in the entire area of the section 201 to allow movement from the section 201 to another adjacent section 201, and the conveying device 3 may be turned in the section 201.

In the first stage area 200A, the sections (6, 13, 1) and (13, 13, 1) where the vertical conveyor 202 exists in plan view, and the shelf 5 conveyed by the vertical conveyor 202 are temporarily arranged. compartments (7, 13, 1), (12, 13, 1), shelf storage compartments (3, 3, 1), (3, 4, 1), etc. ( 2A), (1,1,1) where the battery station exists, and (6,15,1) and (13,15,1) where the picking station 6 exists. Hereinafter, a section in which the shelf 5 is temporarily arranged may be referred to as a "buffer section". In this embodiment, each vertical transporter 202 has one buffer section, but at least one vertical transporter 202 may have two or more buffer sections. In other words, for each vertical conveyor 202, the number of buffer sections (the number of shelves 5 that can be buffered (temporarily arranged) in the first stage area 200A) may be a predetermined number M (M is a natural number). The shelf 5 may be, for example, approximately the same size as one compartment 201 or smaller than one compartment 201 . Note that there may be various modifications of how to set the partitions. Also, a section (for example, section (3, 1, 1)) into which the transport device 3 should not enter may be provided.

Regarding each section 201 of the first-stage area 200A, the direction in which the transport device 3 can move in the section 201 may not be restricted (for example, +x direction, −x direction, +y direction), as indicated by the arrows illustrated in FIG. 2A. and -y directions may be directions in which the conveying device 3 can move). Between the shelf storage compartments, the transport device 3 with no shelf 5 loaded can move in the direction of the arrow. In order to prevent collisions with the shelves stored in the shelf storage section, the transport device 3 loaded with the shelf 5 may be disabled from traveling in the shelf storage section by the control device 4 .

Also, the partitions 201 may be set to be movable in both directions, or may be set to be movable in only one direction. For example, by setting a part of the sections 201 to be movable only in one direction, it can be expected to suppress or reduce the occurrence of congestion of the transport device 3 and improve the overall transport efficiency. In addition, if there are many partitions 201 that can only move in one direction, the movement path of the transport device 3 may become long. The direction in which the conveying device 3 can move may be set in advance depending on the position, type, etc. of , or such a direction may be dynamically set or changed by the control device 4 .

The second stage area 200B is divided into a plurality of rectangular sections 251 of a predetermined size and managed. The second stage area 200B includes sections (6, 13, 2) and (13, 13, 2) where the vertical conveyor 202 exists in plan view, buffer sections (7, 13, 2) and (12, 13, 2). ), and shelf storage compartments (3,2,2), (3,3,2), etc. (identical compartments in FIG. 2B). Similar to compartment 201, compartment 251 is also provided with markers 300, as shown in FIG. 2D.

When installing a mezzanine, it is necessary to comply with the matters stipulated by laws and regulations of the installation site (for example, country and region). Here, examples of laws and regulations include, for example, the Building Standards Act and the Fire Service Act in Japan, and depending on the specifications, there are cases where various applications are required, and where firefighting equipment needs to be installed. In addition to laws and regulations, there may also be standards and guidelines that must be complied with.

The specifications of the mezzanine that can be installed differ depending on the specifications of the distribution center or warehouse where the mezzanine is installed, time costs, costs, customer needs, and compliance with laws and regulations. For example, as one of the specifications of the second stage area 200B, which is an area on the mezzanine, as shown in FIG. A structure with a floor (for example, an iron plate) may be used. Compartment 251 may be provided with marker 300 , similar to compartment 201 . In addition, in the section 251 illustrated in FIG. 2C, the direction in which the transport device 3 can move may be set as described for the first stage area 200A (similarly to the first stage area 200A). The transport device 3 is also pivotable in the compartment 251 illustrated in FIG. 2C.

Another specification of the second stage area 200B may be a structure in which a passage 310 for the conveying device 3 is installed, as illustrated in FIG. 2D. As another specification of the second stage area 200B, both the section 251 illustrated in FIG. 2C and the section 251 illustrated in FIG. 2D may be included. As an example of the present embodiment, in the following description, a case where a section 251 to which the specifications illustrated in FIG. 2D are applied to the second stage area 200B will be described in detail. A section 251 having a passage 310 covers the entire (or part of) the traveling range in which the conveying device 3 can travel in the second stage area 200B.

In the section 251, the passage 310 is composed of, for example, a plurality of parallel plate-like (belt-like) members (for example, iron plates) on which the wheels of the conveying device 3 can travel. The wheels of the transport device 3 may not be able to run on areas other than the passage 310 in the section 251 . Aisle 310 may be a rail.

Segments 251 in the driving range are either x-path segments, y-path segments, or both-path segments. An "x-passage section" is a section that has an x-direction passageway 310X (a passageway that extends in the x-direction) but does not have a y-direction passageway 310Y (a passageway that extends in the y-direction) (upper left and lower left partitions in FIG. 2D). ). A "y-channel segment" is a segment that has a y-channel 310Y but no x-channel 310X (not shown in FIG. 2D). A "both path segment" is a segment that has crossed x-direction paths 310X and y-direction paths 310Y (upper right and lower right compartments in FIG. 2D). Here, the “intersection” of passages 310 may be orthogonal or T-shaped intersection. Also, the x-direction passage 310X and the y-direction passage 310Y may be collectively referred to as a "one-way passage." A two-dimensional member having a single passage (for example, a rectangular member of the same size as the partition) and a two-dimensional member having both passages (x-direction passage and y-direction passage) are spread over the second stage area 200B. good too.

The transport device 3 cannot pivot in either the x-path segment or the y-path segment, but can pivot (change direction of movement) in both path segments. For example, as shown by the dashed circles in both upper right path segments of FIG. is.

The x-path section and both path sections have the same position (relative position) of the x-direction path 310X in each section. For example, "x path segment to x path segment", "x path segment to both path segment" or "both path segment to both path segment" can be adjacent along the x direction. With this configuration, an x-direction passage 310X long in the x-direction is formed in the sections arranged along the x-direction, and the transport device 3 can travel along the x-direction passage 310X between the plurality of sections. .

Note that the x passage section and the section adjacent along the y direction are usually the x passage section or both passage sections. For example, since there is no y-direction passage 310Y between adjacent x-path sections along the y-direction, it is impossible for the transport device 3 to move in the y-direction between the x-path sections. Structures may be present between x passage sections adjacent in the y direction, between y passage sections adjacent in the x direction, or at positions 315X and 315Y at the ends of the second stage area 200B. . An example of the structure may be a wall, a support, or a frame for placing a shelf.

The y-path section and both path sections have the same position (relative position) of the y-direction path 310Y in each section. For example, "y path segment to y path segment", "y path segment to both path segments" or "both path segments to both path segments" can be adjacent along the y direction. With this configuration, y-direction passages 310Y long in the y-direction are formed on the sections arranged along the y-direction, and the transport device 3 can travel along the y-direction passages 310Y between the plurality of sections. can.

Note that the y-passage section and the section adjacent to it along the x-direction are usually the y-passage section or both passage sections. For example, since there is no x-direction passage 310X between adjacent y-path sections along the x-direction, it is impossible for the transport device 3 to move in the x-direction between the y-path sections.

As described above, in the second stage area 200B, the direction in which the conveying device 3 can move is the direction along which the passage 310 extends (for example, the longitudinal direction of the plate-like member that constitutes the passage 310). ). In the section 251, the x-direction passage 310X or the y-direction passage 310Y is bidirectional (in the case of the x-direction passage 310X, both the +x direction and the −x direction; in the case of the y-direction passage 310Y, the +y direction and the −y direction). ) can be run in both directions. However, in the second stage area 200B, when both passage sections in which turning is possible (both passage sections in which the direction can be changed) are limited, it is better to allow only one direction travel between at least some sections 251. It is possible to suppress or reduce the occurrence of traffic jams in the device 3, and an improvement in transportation efficiency can be expected. For example, as indicated by the arrows illustrated in FIG. 2B, the directions in which the conveying device 3 can move may be restricted to directions in which at least a part of the second stage area 200B is circulated in a predetermined direction. For example, the directions in which transport device 3 can move can be in both x-directions (+x-direction and -x-direction) in the shelving compartments, and in the transport compartments between shelving compartments [eg, (4, 6, 2) or (6,3,2)], the x direction may be limited to one x direction (+x direction or −x direction), or the y direction may be limited to one y direction (+y direction or −y direction). may be restricted to

In FIG. 2B, the movable direction of the transport device 3 in the shelf storage section is both x directions and not both y directions. configured area) is shorter along the x-direction than the y-direction. In other words, if the shelf storage area is shorter along the y-direction than the x-direction, the possible directions of movement of the transport device 3 in the shelf storage compartment may be in both y-directions and not in both x-directions.

Also, the direction in which the section 251 can move must be along the direction in which the passage 310 extends. For example, the directions of movement in the x path segment cannot be restricted to the +y direction or the -y direction, and the directions of movement in the y path segment cannot be restricted to the +x direction or the -x direction. In other words, if all sections 251 in the travel range are defined as both passage sections, any section 251 can be restricted to move in both the x direction and the y direction. However, since the passage area of the x passage section and the y passage section is smaller than that of both passage sections, the smaller the number of both passage sections, the more reduction in man-hours, weight reduction, and resource saving can be expected.

2D to which the specifications illustrated in FIG. 2D are applied, the second-stage area 200B has a structure in which a plate-shaped floor (for example, an iron plate) is spread over the entire surface as illustrated in FIG. 2C. In comparison, section 251 can be lighter and require less material (eg iron) and less energy to manufacture section 251 . Therefore, by adopting the section 251 of FIG. 2D as the second stage area 200B, it becomes possible to reduce the weight and resource of the second stage area 200B and the mezzanine. By reducing the weight of the mezzanine, for example, it is possible to reduce the load on the floor where the mezzanine is installed, facilitate the introduction of the mezzanine, and reduce the cost of the floor (costs incurred when installing the mezzanine and during maintenance). can do. In addition, environmental load can be reduced by resource saving of mezzanine.

Refer to FIG. 1 again. The transport device 3 is a device that moves according to a movement instruction from the control device 4, and may typically be an AGV (Automatic Guided Vehicle). The object to be transported is, for example, the shelf 5 or a pallet. If the object to be transported is an object on which one or more articles can be loaded (for example, the shelf 5 or a pallet), the object to be transported may be called a storage unit (storage device) or a loading platform. In this embodiment, the case of the shelf 5 will be described as an example of an object to be transported by the transport device 3 . An object to be conveyed is sometimes called an article to be conveyed. For example, in accordance with the movement instruction from the control device 4, the transport device 3 lifts the shelf 5 specified in the movement instruction, and picks the shelf 5 specified in the movement instruction (or closest to the current position of the transport device 3). The shelf 5 is transported to station 6. The shelves 5 conveyed to the picking station 6 are returned to the original section (or another section) by the conveying device 3 after the necessary commodities are taken out by the worker at the picking station 6 (that is, after picking). .

The transport route to the picking station 6 and the movement route from the picking station 6 to the original arrangement section (or another arrangement section) of the shelf 5 may be specified in one movement instruction, or may be specified in separate movement instructions. May be specified. As an example of this different location, a shelf that stores products that are frequently picked (eg, frequently) and transported to the picking station 6 frequently (eg, frequently) is positioned close to the picking station 6. It may be installed in the first stage area 200A, which is the area where the picking station 6 is arranged. Shelves with a low number of transports to the picking station 6 are installed in a shelf storage section far from the picking station 6 or in an area other than the area where the picking station 6 is arranged (for example, the second area 200B). may In this manner, by changing the installation location of the shelf according to the number of times of transportation to the picking station 6, transportation efficiency can be improved.

As shown in FIG. 3A, the conveying device 3 is formed in a rectangular parallelepiped shape as a whole. As shown in FIG. 3B, drive wheels 20 are provided on the lower surface (bottom surface) of the conveying device 3 so that the conveying device 3 can turn and move forward. A ring 21 is provided. A columnar elevating body 22 is provided at the center of the upper surface of the conveying device 3 so as to be vertically and rotatably movable. At least one of the driving wheels 20 and the auxiliary wheels 21 is the “wheel” of the conveying device 3 .

Then, as shown in FIG. 4, the conveying device 3 rotates the drive wheels 20 to move to the lower side of the shelf 5 to be conveyed, and then raises the elevating body 22 to lift the shelf 5. The shelf 5 is conveyed by running in the warehouse 2 in the state. At this time, the conveying device 3 can also change the direction of the lifted shelf 5 by rotating the lifting body 22 . By rotating (swinging) the body other than the lifting/rotating body 22 with respect to the lifting/rotating body 22, the conveying device 3 can be rotated (turned) without rotating the lifted shelf 5. is.

Further, for example, the transport of the shelf 5 from the second stage area 200B to the first stage area 200A is as shown in FIG. The transport device 3 in the second area 200B transports the shelf 5 from the starting position (for example, the shelf storage section) in the second area 200B to the section just before the vertical conveyor 202 (buffer section in the second area 200B). do. The transport equipment in the second stage area 200B transports the shelf 5 from the buffer section into the vertical transport machine 202 (upper left diagram of FIG. 5). The transport equipment for transporting the shelf 5 to the vertical transport machine 202 may be the transport device 3 in the second stage area 200B or another transport device (carrying in/out device such as a conveyor) in the second stage area 200B. good too. The vertical conveying machine 202 containing the shelf 5 descends from the second stage area 200B to the first stage area 200A to convey the shelf 5 to the first stage area (upper right diagram in FIG. 5). The transport facility in the first-level area 200A moves the shelf 5 from the vertical transport machine 202 that has arrived at the first-level area 200A to the buffer section in the first-level area 200A (lower left diagram in FIG. 5). The transport equipment for transporting to this buffer section may be the transport device 3 in the first-stage area 200A, or may be another transport device (loading/unloading device such as a conveyor) in the first-stage area 200A. The shelf 5 temporarily placed in the buffer section is transported by the transport device 3 to the target position (for example, the picking station 6, the shelf storage section of the first stage area 200A, etc.) (lower right diagram in FIG. 5).

Similarly, transport of the shelf 5 from the starting position in the first-tier area 200A to the destination position in the second-tier area 200B will be described. The transport device 3 in the first-stage area 200A moves from the starting position (for example, the shelf storage section, the picking station 6, etc.) of the first-stage area 200A to the section just before the vertical conveyor 202 (buffer section of the first-stage area 200A). , the shelf 5 is transported. The transport facility in the first stage area 200A transports the shelf 5 from the buffer section into the vertical transport machine 202. As shown in FIG. The transport facility for transporting the shelf 5 to the vertical transport machine 202 may be the transport device 3 in the first stage area 200A, or another transport device (carrying in/out device such as a conveyor) in the first stage area 200A. good too. A vertical conveying machine 202 containing the shelf 5 rises from the first stage area 200A to the second stage area 200B and conveys the shelf 5 to the second stage area. The transport facility in the second area 200B moves the shelf 5 from the vertical transport machine 202 that has arrived at the second area 200B to the buffer section in the second area 200B. The transport equipment for transporting to this buffer section may be the transport device 3 in the second stage area 200B or another transport device (loading/unloading device such as a conveyor) in the second stage area 200B. The shelf 5 temporarily placed in the buffer section is transported by the transport device 3 to a target position (for example, the shelf storage section of the second stage area 200B).

Note that the vertical conveyor 202 and the loading/unloading device may be integrated transportation equipment (which may be called a vertical transportation system, a vertical conveyor, or an inter-area conveyor), or may be separate devices. good too.

The conveying device 3 is equipped with an automatic charging function, and when the remaining amount of the mounted battery (not shown) falls below a predetermined value, the conveying device 3 moves to the battery station and automatically charges the battery. It is supposed to be done.

The control device 4 controls each transfer device 3 in the warehouse 2, an inter-area transfer machine such as a vertical transfer machine 202, and each transfer equipment (first stage area 200A and second stage area 200B, etc.). A movement instruction is transmitted from the control device 4 to the equipment (conveyor 3, vertical conveyor 202, conveyance equipment, etc.) that performs movement (including transportation), and the equipment receiving the movement instruction moves according to the movement instruction. will be

For example, the control device 4 specifies the shelf 5 storing the ordered product according to the order from the customer, and instructs the transport device 3 to move the shelf 5 to the picking station 6 ( Hereinafter, such an instruction regarding transportation will be referred to as a movement instruction). If the identified shelf 5 is the shelf 5 arranged in the second stage area 200B, the control device 4 instructs the transport device 3 in the second stage area 200B to place the shelf 5 in the arrangement position of the shelf 5 (the position of the shelf 5). storage position) to the vertical transport 202 (or buffer compartment). When the shelf 5 is transported to the buffer section, the control device 4 transmits a movement instruction for transporting the shelf 5 from the buffer section into the vertical transporter 202 to the transport equipment in the second stage area 200B. The control device 4 causes the vertical conveyor 202 to convey the shelf 5 from the second area 200B to the first area 200A. When transporting the shelf 5 to the buffer section, the control device 4 transmits a movement instruction to transport the shelf 5 from the vertical transport machine 202 to the buffer section to the transport facility in the first stage area 200A. The control device 4 transmits a movement instruction to the transport device 3 to transport the shelf 5 from the arrangement position of the shelf 5 (the vertical transporter 202 or the buffer section) to the picking station 6 .

When the shelf 5 is transported using the vertical transporter 202, when the transporting device 3 transports the shelf 5 to the vertical transporter 202, or when the transporting device 3 transports the shelf 5 to the vertical transporter 202 (For example, when approaching the vertical conveyor 202, such as when the vertical conveyor 202 is within a predetermined distance), the control device 4 may issue a transport instruction to the vertical conveyor. By issuing a transfer instruction in advance, the vertical transfer machine 202 can prepare for transfer, thereby improving the transfer efficiency. Here, as an example of transportation preparation of the vertical conveyor 202, in the case of carrying out transportation by descending the shelf 5, the portion (elevator basket) of the vertical conveyor 202 for mounting the shelf 5 is placed in the second stage area 200B. Alternatively, if the shelf 5 is to be transported upward, the portion of the vertical transporter 202 on which the shelf 5 is to be mounted may be moved to the first stage area 200A. At the timing when the transport device 3 completes transporting the shelf 5 to the buffer section, or at the timing when the transport device 3 moves from the buffer section after the completion of transport, the control device 4 transmits a transport instruction to the vertical transport machine 202. good too.

If there are a plurality of transport tasks using the vertical transport machine 202 at the same timing, the order of transport tasks or transport instructions for the shelf 5, the order of transport to the vertical transport machine 202, and the priority of the transport tasks are: The control device 4 may make adjustments to determine the processing order of the transport tasks of the vertical transport machine 202 based on a predetermined criterion such as descending order of height, and transmit a movement instruction to the vertical transport machine 202 and the transport device 3 . Note that the control device 4 may reserve both or at least one of the vertical transport machine 202 and the buffer section in association with the transport task so as not to conflict with other transport tasks during the reservation.

In addition, the control device 4 issues a movement instruction to each of the transport devices 3, the vertical transport machine 202, etc. for each of a plurality of transport tasks, and the transport system as a whole can process a plurality of transport tasks in parallel. For the shelf 5 that has been moved and taken out by the vertical conveyor 202, a movement instruction is transmitted to the conveyor 3 that is in a position that can be conveyed and that is nearby. In the picking station 6, the picking operation may be performed in the order in which the shelves are transported to the picking station 6 (arrival order).

The “movement instruction” transmitted to the transport device 3 is associated with information representing the transport task assigned to the transport device 3 . The transport task is a task according to which shelf 5 is to be transported to which compartment, and the information representing the transport task is, for example, the shelf ID of the shelf 5 to be transported and the path along which the transport device 3 moves. It may include a movement path and a movement direction of the transport device 3 . The movement route is a route from the current section (the section to which the current position belongs) of the transport device 3 to the shelf section (the section where the shelf 5 to be transported exists), and a route from the shelf section to the target section (for example, the picking station 6). , or a part of the route (for example, the most recent route to be traveled). Also, after the worker picks up the product from the shelf 5 at the picking station 6, the control device 4 gives a "movement instruction" to the transfer device 3 to the specified position in order to return the shelf 5 to the specified position. This movement path may further include the path from the picking station 6 to the designated location. At least the section adjacent to the picking station 6 out of the section adjacent to the picking station 6 and the battery station may be an example of the target section (the section to which the target position belongs).

6 and 7 are diagrams showing specific configuration examples of elements of the transport system according to the present embodiment. The transport system includes a control device 4 , a transport device 3 , a vertical transport machine 202 , a picking terminal 710 and a network 551 . In addition, the transport system includes other transport equipment (for example, a loading/unloading device that transports the shelf 5 between the vertical transport machine 202 and the buffer section), a multi-stage area 122 (for example, a mezzanine), a pedestal 192, a shelf 5 Alternatively, all or part of the picking station 6 may be further provided. Each component of the transport system may be one or more. For example, the configuration illustrated in FIG. 1 may be realized by introducing a transport system into the warehouse 2 .

Each of the transport device 3 , the control device 4 , the vertical transport machine 202 and the picking terminal 710 can communicate via the network 551 . A plurality of each of the vertical transport machine 202 and the picking terminal 710 may exist.

The transport device 3 includes a drive device 11, a storage device 12, an interface device 13, a plurality of types of sensors 14, a battery, and a controller 10 connected to them.

The controller 10 is a controller that controls the operation of the conveying device 3 according to a movement instruction from the control device 4, the state of charge of the built-in battery, and the like. The driving device 11 includes a drive wheel 20, an auxiliary wheel 21, and an elevating body 22, an actuator (not shown) such as a motor for rotationally driving the driving wheel 20, and a motor for elevating and rotating the elevating body 22. and actuators (not shown).

The interface device 13 is a device for communicating with the control device 4 by a predetermined wireless communication method, and may be configured by, for example, a Wi-Fi (registered trademark) wireless LAN (Local Area Network) card.

The sensor 14 is a device for collecting information on the floor on which the conveying device 3 travels and various information about the conveying device 3 . For example, multiple types of sensors 14 are capable of reading information from markers 300 on floor sections 201, 251, for example. The conveying device 3 includes, as the sensor 14, a camera for capturing images of the states of the sections 201 and 251, a vibration sensor for detecting vibrations received by the conveying device 3 during movement, and a speed sensor for measuring the speed of the conveying device 3. Sensors, an acceleration sensor that measures the acceleration of the transport device 3, a weight sensor that measures the weight of the load, and a gyro sensor that measures the direction of the transport device 3 may be provided.

The storage device 12 stores, for example, a route table 23, a device table 24, a map table 25, a measurement table 27, and a performance table 28. FIG. The controller 10 stores a communication program 29 , a movement control program 30 , a measurement program 31 and a position estimation program 32 . By executing the communication program 29, the movement control program 30, the measurement program 31, and the position estimation program 32 by the controller 10, a communication section, a travel control section, a measurement section, and a position estimation section are realized.

The route table 23 is a table that stores information representing the movement route specified by the above-described movement instruction received from the control device 4 (the information representing the movement route includes the arrangement of the storage positions of the partitions and the movement route. date and time located in that compartment for each compartment it belongs to). The device table 24 is a table that stores the ID of the transport device 3, the storage position of the current section, and the status (for example, "waiting", "moving", or "transporting"). The map table 25 is a table that stores information representing the position and attributes of each section (for example, which area it belongs to). As an example of the map table 25, the information illustrated in FIGS. 2A and 2B may be used. The measurement table 27 stores values measured by multiple types of sensors 14 (for example, speed, acceleration, turning, weight, storage position (value read from a two-dimensional barcode), captured image of a section, etc.). is a table. The track record table 28 is a table that stores information representing the track record of movement, including the route and date and time of movement of the conveying device 3 .

The communication program 29 is a program having a function of exchanging commands and information with the control device 4 via the interface device 13 . For example, the communication program 29 transmits at least part of the information of the tables 23 to 25, 27 and 28 to the control device 4 in response to a request from the control device 4 (or without a request). The communication program of each transport device 3 may transmit each of these pieces of information to the control device 4 at regular or irregular timings.

The movement control program 30 is a program for controlling the movement of the carrier device 3 according to movement instructions received from the control device 4 through the communication program 29 . For example, the movement control program 30, according to movement instructions from the control device 4, controls the drive device 11 to lift the designated shelf 5 and move it to the picking station 6 along the designated movement route, or The drive device 11 is controlled so as to return the shelf 5 to its original position (or another position) through the moving path.

The measurement program 31 registers the output (measurement result) of each sensor 14 in the measurement table 27 . The position estimation program 32 determines the position of the conveying device 3 based on the markers (the markers 300 attached to the sections 201 and 251 of the first-stage area 200A and the second-stage area 200B) detected through the sensor 14 of the conveying device 3. Estimate location.

The control device 4 may be one or more physical computers having hardware such as a processor 40, a memory 41, a storage device 42, an input device 43, an output device 44 and an interface device 45, or may be one or more physical computers (for example, A system (for example, a cloud computing system) implemented on a cloud platform) may also be used. Further, each device included in the control device 4 may be arranged in one physical computer, or may be arranged in a plurality of physical computers so as to be distributed. Each program and each information that the storage device 42 has may be stored in one storage device, or may be divided and stored in a plurality of storage devices so as to be distributed. Instead of the input device 43 and the output device 44, information may be input/output via a client system capable of communicating through the interface device 45. FIG.

The processor 40 is a device that controls the operation of the control device 4 as a whole. Memory 41 is used as a work memory for processor 40 . The storage device 42 stores programs and tables. The input device 43 is composed of, for example, a mouse and a keyboard, and is used by the operator to input necessary information and instructions to the control device 4 . The output device 44 may be a display device such as a liquid crystal display or an organic EL (Electro Luminescence) display. The interface device 45 is a device for communicating with the conveying device 3, the vertical conveying machine 202, and the picking terminal 710 by a predetermined wireless communication method, and may be composed of, for example, a Wi-Fi card.

The storage device 42 stores, for example, a device transfer table 53, an inventory table 54, a shelf table 57, a map table 56, a vertical transfer table 61, an order table 55, a picking table 58, a shelf transfer table 59, a floor table 60, and a boundary table 62. is stored. Tables 53-55 and 57-62 will be described later. The map table 56 contains information representing the maps of the first area 200A and the second area 200B (for example, the position (coordinates) and attributes (for example, shelf storage section, picking station 6, battery station, vertical conveying machine 202, or buffer section) is stored (this table 56 is distributed to each conveying device 3, and the map is stored in each conveying device 3). may be saved as table 25).

The floor table 60 and the boundary table 62 may be examples of area information. The device transport table 53, the shelf transport table 59, and the vertical transport table 61 may be examples of transport management information (for example, information including information representing assignment relationships between transport tasks and transport devices 3). Specifically, for example, the device transport table 53 and part of the shelf transport table 59 (information on the shelves in the first-stage area 200A and the second-stage area 200B) are transported by one or a plurality of transport devices 3. may be an example of information related to A part of the shelf transfer table 59 (for example, information about the buffer section, information about the shelves in the first area 200A and the second area, etc.) and the vertical transfer table 61 are an example of the information about the transfer by the inter-area transfer machine. OK.

A storage program 50 and a processing program 51 are stored in the storage device 42 . A storage unit and a processing unit are implemented by the storage program 50 and the processing program 51 being executed by the processor 40 . A storage program 50 stores these tables 53 to 62 in the storage device 42 .

The vertical transport 202 has an interface device 711, a storage device 713, a drive device 714, a sensor 715 and a processor 712 connected thereto.

The interface device 711 is a device for communicating with the control device 4 by a predetermined wireless communication method, and may be configured by, for example, a Wi-Fi (registered trademark) wireless LAN (Local Area Network) card. The driving device 714 is a device that drives the vertical conveying machine 202 to move up and down and stand by. The sensor 715 may be a sensor that detects the position of the vertical conveyor 202 or the like.

A vertical transfer table 760 is stored in the storage device 713 . The vertical transfer table 760 may be a table containing at least part of the same information as the vertical transfer table 61 of the control device 4 . The processor 712 controls the overall operation of the vertical transfer machine 202 based on, for example, the vertical transfer table 760 by executing the program in the storage device 713 .

The picking terminal 710 is an information processing terminal for managing picking work at the picking station 6 . A picking terminal 710 has an interface device 731, a storage device 732 and a processor 733 connected thereto.

The interface device 731 is a device for communicating with the control device 4 by a predetermined wireless communication method, and may be configured by, for example, a Wi-Fi (registered trademark) wireless LAN (Local Area Network) card. A picking table 770 is stored in the storage device 732 . The picking table 770 is a table containing at least part of the same information as the picking table 58 of the control device 4 (for example, information for specifying orders to be processed, scheduled work time, and actual progress). table) is fine. The processor 733 controls the overall operation of the picking terminal 710 based on, for example, the picking table 770 by executing the program in the storage device 732 .

Picking terminal 710 may include an input device and an output device. The input device may receive input of information about the picking work by the operator, such as completion of the picking work. The output device may output instructions and the like regarding the picking work to the worker.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a configuration example of the order table 55. As shown in FIG.

The order table 55 is a table that stores various information related to orders from customers. The order table 55 has a record for each order. Each record holds information such as a processing ID 601 , slip number 602 , store name 603 , store code 604 , product name 605 , product ID 606 , quantity 607 , delivery date 608 , reception date/time 609 and work date/time 610 . Take one order as an example (“notable order” in the description of FIG. 8). According to the example shown in FIG. 8, even if the slip number 602 is the same, if the product type (for example, the product name 605 and the product ID 606) are different, they are treated as separate orders. One order may be divided into two or more orders and managed, or two or more orders may be managed as one order.

A processing ID 601 represents the ID of the order of interest. The slip number 602 represents a so-called slip number.

The store name 603 represents the name of the store to which the product specified in the order of interest is shipped, and the store code 604 represents the code of the store.

A product name 605 represents the name of the product specified in the order of interest, a product ID 606 represents the ID of the product, and a quantity 607 represents the number of products.

The delivery date 608 represents the deadline by which the product specified in the order of interest is delivered to the order destination (typically, the customer). It should be noted that the processing program 51 may calculate the deadline for the actual picking at the picking station by calculating backward from the delivery date 608 . The processing program 51 may determine the timing of transmitting the movement instruction to the transport device 3 based on the calculated deadline, or specify the date and time when the transport device 3 should arrive at the picking station in the movement instruction. good too.

The date and time of reception 609 represents the date and time when the order of interest was received. The date and time of work 610 represents the date and time when the work of transporting the shelf 5 on which the product specified in the order of interest is placed to the picking station 6 is performed.

FIG. 9 is a diagram showing a configuration example of the inventory table 54. As shown in FIG.

The inventory table 54 is a table in which information on products is stored. The inventory table 54 has a record for each product. Each record holds information such as product name 701 , product ID 702 , stock quantity 703 , shelf ID 704 , product position 705 and picking frequency 706 . Take one product as an example (“notable product” in the description of FIG. 9). Note that when the same product is stored on different shelves, there are multiple records for the same product. Similarly, multiple records exist for the same product when the same product is stored in different product positions on the same shelf.

The product name 701 represents the name of the product of interest. The product ID 702 represents the ID of the product of interest. The stock quantity 703 represents the stock quantity of the product of interest. The shelf ID 704 represents the ID of the shelf 5 on which the product of interest is arranged. A product position 705 represents the position of the target product on the shelf 5 . For example, "U3R2" means "third from top (U), second from right (R)".

The number of pickings 706 represents the number of times the product of interest has been picked. The number of times of picking 706 may be counted per shelf, or may be the number of products picked. The number of times of picking 706 may be used for changing the arrangement of the shelves 5, changing the products on the shelves 5, and the like. Also, the number of pickings 706 may be reset or updated at regular intervals, for example, the number of pickings in a certain period of time, and thus may be called "picking frequency".

FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a configuration example of the shelf table 57. As shown in FIG.

The shelf table 57 is a table in which information about the shelf 5 is stored. The shelf table 57 has records for each shelf 5 . Each record holds a shelf ID 801 , a storage position 802 , a shelf weight 803 (eg [Kg]), a commodity weight 804 (eg [Kg]), and a transport count 805 . Take one shelf 5 as an example (“notable shelf 5” in the description of FIG. 10).

The shelf ID 801 represents the ID of the noted shelf 5 . The storage position 802 represents the section and area height where the noted shelf 5 is arranged. Specifically, the storage position 802 is represented by "(column number, row number, column number)". For example, (3,3,1) means section (3,3) in the first stage area 200A. If the shelf of interest 5 exists in the buffer section, the storage position 802 represents the position of the buffer section. If the shelf of interest 5 is being transported, the storage position 802 may indicate the status of the shelf of interest 5 being transported. If the shelf of interest 5 is in the process of being picked, the storage location 802 may represent the status "picking" of the shelf of interest 5 .

A shelf weight 803 represents the weight of the shelf 5 of interest. The commodity weight 804 represents the total weight of all the commodities arranged on the noted shelf 5 . The product weight 804 may be calculated by the processing program 51 based on, for example, the stock quantity 703 of the product corresponding to the shelf ID 704 of the shelf of interest 5 and the weight of the product itself.

The transport count 805 is information representing the number of times the task of transporting the shelf of interest 5 has been executed. Each time the transport task for the shelf of interest 5 is executed, the transport count 805 corresponding to the shelf of interest 5 is updated by, for example, the storage program 50 . For example, the shelf 5 with the shelf ID “S634” is stored in a section with a high transport cost because the transport count 805 is small. The number of transports 805 may be incremented each time the shelf of interest 5 is transported regardless of the target section, or the number of transports 805 may not be incremented even when the shelf of interest 5 is transported depending on the target section. For example, the transport count 805 corresponding to the shelf of interest 5 may be updated each time the transport task to the picking station 6 as the target section is executed. Note that the "number of transports" may be reset or updated at regular intervals, for example, the number of transports in a predetermined period of time, and therefore may be called "transport frequency".

Based on the number of transfers 805 in the shelf table 57 (for example, the statistics of the number of transfers 805 of all the shelves 5), the processing program 51 designates the area where the arrangement position of the shelf 5 exists as the first stage area 200A. , the low-density placement region of the second-tier area 200B or the high-density placement region of the second-tier area 200B. Accordingly, it is expected that the section in which the shelf 5 is arranged is maintained in an optimum section according to the number of times of transportation 805 . For example, the processing program 51 determines the placement position of the shelf 5 with a relatively low transport count 805 (for example, the shelf 5 with the shelf ID “S634”) in the high-density placement region of the second stage area 200B. This is expected to maintain high transport efficiency. Details will be described later.

FIG. 11 is a diagram showing a configuration example of the apparatus transport table 53. As shown in FIG.

The device transport table 53 is a table in which information acquired from each transport device 3 is stored. The device transport table 53 has a record for each transport device 3 . Each record holds information such as device ID 1101 , shelf flag 1102 , position 1103 , remaining battery capacity 1104 , device status 1105 , shelf ID 1106 , target position 1107 and estimated arrival date and time 1108 . Take one transport device 3 as an example (“focused transport device 3” in the description of FIG. 11).

The device ID 1101 represents the ID of the transport device 3 of interest. The shelf flag 1102 indicates whether or not the transport device 3 of interest has a shelf. A position 1103 represents the coordinates of the section (that is, the current section) where the transport device 3 of interest is located. The remaining battery capacity 1104 represents the remaining capacity of the battery of the transport apparatus 3 of interest.

The device state 1105 represents the state of the transport device 3 of interest. "Moving" means that the transport device 3 of interest is moving. “Empty” means that a shelf ID (specifically, a transport task including a shelf ID) is not assigned to the transport device 3 of interest. The shelf ID 1106 represents the shelf ID included in the transport task assigned to the noted transport device 3 (that is, the ID of the transport target shelf 5 specified in the transport task). The destination position 1107 represents the position of the transport destination of the shelf 5 transported by the transport device 3 of interest, and includes position information such as the address (coordinates) of the transport destination, or the ID of the transport destination that can specify the position of the transport destination. It may be information (ID) that identifies the previous partition. For example, the transport destination of the transport device 3 in the first stage area 200A may be the ID of the picking station 6 (the position (coordinates) corresponding to the picking station 6 may be used), the storage position of the shelf 5, the vertical transport machine 202 (or the first stage It may be the ID (or coordinates) of the buffer partition of the eye area 200A). Further, for example, the transport destination of the transport device 3 in the second-level area 200B may be the storage position of the shelf 5 or the ID (or coordinates) of the vertical transport machine 202 (or the buffer section of the second-level area 200B). .

The scheduled arrival date and time 1108 is the scheduled date and time when the transport apparatus 3 of interest will arrive at the transport destination (for example, the picking station 6). The scheduled arrival date and time 1108 may be, for example, the date and time calculated by the processing program 51 based on the movement route to the transport destination of the transport device 3 of interest.

The processing program 51 of the control device 4 refers to the device transport table 53 and assigns a transport task to the transport device 3 whose device status 1105 is "idle". However, for example, even if the device status 1105 of the transport device 3 is currently “moving”, if the scheduled arrival date and time 1108 is close and the target position 1107 is close to the position to be the destination of the next transport task, the next transport task will be moved. can be carried out faster than the other transport devices 3 for the transport task of . In this case, the processing program 51 may refer to the apparatus transport table 53 and assign (reserve or manage) the transport apparatus 3 that is "moving" as the next transport task.

According to the table 53 illustrated in FIG. 11, for example, the following can be found.
The transport device 3 with the shelf flag 1102 “present” and the device status 1105 “moving” is transporting the shelf 5 represented by the shelf ID 1106 to the picking station 6 .
The transport device 3 with the shelf flag 1102 of "absent" and the device status 1105 of "moving" is moving to acquire (for example, load) the shelf 5 indicated by the shelf ID 1106. After picking up the shelf 5 , the shelf flag 1102 is updated to “present”, and the transport device 3 transports the shelf 5 to the picking station 6 .

FIG. 12 is a diagram showing a configuration example of the shelf transfer table 59. As shown in FIG.

The shelf transfer table 59 is a table in which information regarding the transfer of the shelf 5 is stored. The shelf transport table 59 has a record for each shelf 5 (or transport task for shelf 5). Each record holds information such as shelf ID 1101 , storage position 1202 , stage 1203 , shelf status 1204 , device ID 1205 , device status 1206 , scheduled transfer start date and time 1207 , transfer destination 1208 , and scheduled transfer end date and time 1209 . Take one shelf 5 as an example (“notable shelf 5” in the description of FIG. 12).

The shelf ID 1201 represents the ID of the noted shelf 5 . A storage position 1202 represents a storage position (column number, row number, and stage number) before the noted shelf 5 is transported. When the shelf of interest 5 moves from the storage position, the storage position 1202 becomes blank "-". When the shelf of interest 5 moves from the storage position, the transport device 3 that transports the shelf of interest 5 reads the mark and updates the position information based on the marker information (position information) transmitted to the control device 4. good. The storage position 1202 may be the position of the most recent noted shelf 5 . When temporarily placed at a buffer position for transport by the vertical conveyor 202, the storage position 1202 may be the position information (address) of the buffer position.

A stage 1203 indicates in which stage area the shelf of interest 5 is located (for example, the first stage area 200A or the second stage area 200B).

The shelf state 1204 represents the state of the shelf arranged in the second stage area 200B. "Standby" means that the shelf of interest 5 is waiting in the buffer section after being conveyed to the first stage area 200A. "Moving" means that the shelf of interest 5 is being moved from the vertical transfer machine 202 that has reached the first stage area 200A to the buffer section. “Before moving” means that the shelf of interest 5 is waiting to be transported by the vertical transporter 202 in the second area 200A before the shelf of interest 5 is transported to the first area 200A by the vertical transporter 202. do.

The device ID 1205 represents the ID of the transport device 3, the vertical transport machine 202, or each transport equipment to which the transport task of the shelf 5 of interest is assigned. Indicates the status of equipment. "Loading" means that the shelf of interest 5 is already loaded on the transport device 3, the vertical transport machine 202, or each transport facility and is moving (that is, the shelf of interest 5 is being transported). "Moving" means that the transport device 3, the vertical transport machine 202, or each transport facility is moving to the storage position (placement position, current position) of the shelf of interest 5 in order to load the shelf of interest 5. do.

The scheduled transfer start date and time 1207 indicates the date and time when the shelf of interest 5 is scheduled to start being transferred by the transfer device 3, the vertical transfer machine 202, or each transfer equipment, or the date and time when transfer has started. The scheduled transportation start date and time 1207 is, for example, when the movement route is determined by the processing program 51 from the storage position 802 of the shelf of interest 5 and the position 1103 of the transport apparatus 3 to which the shelf of interest 5 is assigned. It may be calculated by the processing program 51 based on the information represented and the standard moving speed of the transport device 3 . Instead of or in addition to this method, the calculation of the scheduled transportation start date and time 1207 may take into consideration the average transportation speed estimated from the past transportation history.

The transport destination 1208 is information representing the destination position of the transport task or movement route, and is represented by an address or identification information (for example, picking station ID) that can specify the destination position. Information such as the ID of the picking station and the address of the storage position on the shelf is stored as the destination 1208 .

The scheduled transport end date and time 1209 is the scheduled end date and time of the transport task. It may be calculated by the processing program 51 by adding a required time predicted based on the moving speed or the like.

The processing program 51 may manage transport tasks using the shelf transport table 59 . In addition to the information shown in FIG. 12, the shelf transport table 59 includes a plurality of transport facilities (such as the transport device 3 and the vertical transport machine 202) when transporting shelves between areas. Information on the transfer source, transfer destination, device status, transfer start date and time (or transfer start date and time), and transfer end date and time (transfer end date and time) for the transfer equipment may be held.

The processing program 51 manages the transport task currently being executed using the shelf transport table 59, so that it can coordinate with other transport tasks and control efficient transport as a whole. For example, if there is a transport task that transports the same shelf 5 at different picking stations, the transport task is adjusted based on the shelf transport table 59 so that from the first picking station 6 (without returning the shelf to its original storage position) ) It is possible to adjust the transport to the next picking station 6 and issue a transport instruction.

FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a configuration example of the vertical transfer table 61. As shown in FIG.

The vertical transfer table 61 is a table in which information regarding transfer by the vertical transfer machine 202 is stored. The vertical transfer table 61 has a record for each vertical transfer. Each record holds information such as vertical ID 1301 , transport mode 1302 , shelf ID 1303 , shelf status 1304 , transport start date/time 1305 and buffering start date/time 1306 . Take a single vertical transport as an example (“vertical transport of interest” in the description of FIG. 13). Note that "vertical transport" is an example of inter-area transport. either to or from When the plurality of areas is three or more areas, the transportation from the transportation source area to the transportation destination area may be "vertical transportation" (an example of inter-area transportation). There are 0 or more areas between the transfer source area and the transfer destination area.

A vertical ID 1301 represents the ID of the vertical transport machine 202 that performs the vertical transport of interest. Note that the vertical ID 1301 may be omitted, and the vertical transfer table 61 may exist for each vertical transfer machine 202 .

The transport mode 1302 represents the transport direction of the vertical transport machine 202 on which the shelf 5 is placed. "Upper" means that the vertical conveyer 202 conveys the shelf 5 from the first stage area 200A to the second stage area 200B. "Lower" means that the vertical conveyer 202 conveys the shelf 5 from the second stage area 200B to the first stage area 200A. The vertical conveying machine 202 moves to the first stage area 200A or the second stage area 200B without having the shelf 5 (for example, the shelf 5 to be transported is received in the first stage area 200A or the second stage area 200B). ) may not exist in this table 61 .

The shelf ID 1303 represents the ID of the shelf 5 transported by the vertical transport of interest. The shelf status 1304 represents the status of the shelf 5 to be vertically transported. “Elevating” means that the shelf 5 is being transported by the vertical transporter 202 . “Waiting” means that the shelf 5 is waiting to be vertically transported at the standby position (buffer section) in front of the vertical transporter 202 . “Moving” means that the shelf 5 is being moved to the vertical conveyor 202 . “Before moving” means that the shelf 5 is waiting to be transported to the vertical transporter 202 at its current placement position (eg, shelf storage section).

The transport start date and time 1305 represents the date and time when the vertical transport of interest has started or is scheduled to start. For example, the transfer start date and time 1305 may be calculated by the processing program 51 based on information on the transfer status of the vertical transfer machine 202 and information on the date and time when the shelf 5 arrives at the vertical transfer machine 202 . The date and time when the shelf 5 arrives at the vertical transfer machine 202 is based on the storage position of the shelf 5, the standard transfer time (or standard transfer speed) of the transfer device 3, and the information on the transfer of the other shelf 5 that will be transferred first. , may be calculated by the processing program 51 . Further, the processing program 51 calculates the date and time of completion of transportation (date and time when vertical transportation is scheduled to be completed) based on the transportation start date and time 1305 and the standard transportation time (or standard transportation speed) of the vertical transportation machine 202 . The information may be held in the carrier table 61 .

The buffering start date and time 1306 is the date and time when the shelf 5 targeted for the vertical transport of interest is arranged in the buffer section in the vertical transfer destination area, and the date and time when the standby for transport to the target position is started in the buffer section. Or it represents the scheduled start date and time. Specifically, for example, the shelf 5 that has reached the first stage area 200A by the vertical conveyor 202 is transported by transport equipment (for example, placed on a pedestal conveyor (not shown) and transported to the buffer section by the pedestal conveyor). ), but the buffering start date and time 1306 is the date and time when the shelf 5 is transported to the buffer section by the transport facility. For example, the transfer start date and time 1305, the standard transfer time (or standard transfer speed) of the vertical transfer machine 202, the time required to transfer from the vertical transfer machine 202 to the transfer equipment (for example, a frame conveyor), and the transfer time on the transfer equipment The buffering start date and time 1306 may be calculated by the processing program 51 based on the required time.

For example, when transporting the shelf 5 from the buffer section to the target position (for example, the picking station 6), the control device 4 refers to the device transport table 53 and refers to the "empty" near the buffer section in the same area as the buffer section. A transport task is assigned to the transport device 3 in the device status 1105 of , and a movement instruction is transmitted. For example, the control device 4 refers to the vertical transport table 61 and causes the transport device 3 to wait in advance around the buffer section so that the shelf 5 can be transported immediately from the buffering start date and time 1306, or A movement instruction may be given to the conveying device 3 so as to start moving to . Further, when there are a plurality of shelves 5 in the buffer section, the control device 4 controls (instructs movement) such that a transport task with a high priority is preferentially transported. A movement instruction may be given so that the sheets are conveyed in order. This prevents stagnation in the buffer section and enables efficient transportation.

FIG. 14 is a diagram showing a configuration example of the picking table 58. As shown in FIG.

The picking table 58 is a table related to picking work. The picking table 58 has a record for each picking operation. Each record holds information such as picking station ID 1401, process ID 1402, device ID 1403, shelf ID 1404, product ID 1405, quantity 1406, scheduled start date and time 1407, scheduled end date and time 1408, and picking status 1409. Take one picking work as an example (“notable picking work” in the description of FIG. 14).

The picking station ID 1401 represents the ID of the picking station where the picking work of interest is performed. The picking station ID 1401 may be omitted, and a picking table 58 may be provided for each picking station 6 .

The processing ID 1402 is the processing ID of the order corresponding to the picking work of interest. The device ID 1403 is the ID of the transport device 3 that transports the shelf having the product to be picked in the picking task of interest to the picking station 6 .

The shelf ID 1404 represents the ID of the shelf having the product to be picked in the picking task of interest, the product ID 1405 represents the ID of the product, and the quantity 1406 represents the number of products to be picked. According to the table 58 in which the records are arranged in ascending order of the scheduled start date and time 1407, when the same shelf ID 1404 is consecutive, different products corresponding to different process IDs are continuously picked from one shelf 5. It is possible.

The scheduled start date and time 1407 represents the scheduled start date and time of the picking task of interest. The scheduled end date and time 1408 represents the scheduled end date and time of the picking work of interest. The scheduled start date and time 1407 is calculated by the processing program 51 based on the scheduled date and time when the transport device 3 arrives at the picking station 6 along the movement route and the predicted length of time required for the picking work performed before the picking work of interest. you can The scheduled end date and time 1408 may be calculated by the processing program 51 based on the scheduled start date and time 1407 and the estimated length of time required for the picking work. The estimated length of time required for picking work is based on at least one of the quantity of products to be picked, the average time required for picking work, and the past picking work history of the picking work worker, It may be calculated by the processing program 51 . Note that the picking work may be performed by a robot instead of or in addition to the worker.

The picking state 1409 represents the state of the picking work of interest. "Before work" means before the transport device 3 with the rack 5 arrives at the picking station 6 and the picking work is started. "Working" means that the picking work has started but has not been completed. "Completed" means that the picking operation has been completed. Note that the picking state 1409 may be changed based on an input from the picking worker, or may be automatically based on values automatically detected regarding the picking work. For example, when the transport device 3 on standby transports the shelf 5 after the completion of the picking work of interest, the picking status 1409 corresponding to the picking work following the picking work of interest changes from "before work" to "in work". may be changed to

FIG. 15 is a diagram showing a configuration example of the floor table 60. As shown in FIG.

The floor table 60 holds information for each section in the first stage area 200A and the second stage area 200B. The floor table 60 has a record for each partition. Each record holds information such as an address 1501, section setting 1502, unusable flag 1503, section type 1504, passage direction 1505, turn availability flag 1506, and transportation cost 1507. Take one section as an example (“target section” in the description of FIG. 15).

The address 1501 represents the address (positional information) of the section of interest. Section setting 1502 represents what type of section the target section is set as. For example, a "shelf storage compartment" is a compartment in which shelves are stored (located). A "moving section" is a section in which the transport device 3 travels for transporting shelves in the shelf storage section. The compartments that make up the transport path may mainly be compartments for movement.

The unusable flag 1503 is a flag indicating whether or not the section of interest is unusable (cannot be a component of the transport route).

The section type 1504 indicates whether or not the section of interest has a passage. For example, a compartment such as illustrated in FIG. 2C may have a compartment type 1504 of "floor" (has no aisles). Also, a compartment such as that illustrated in FIG. 2D may have a compartment type 1504 of "passageway" (has aisle). In addition, the floor table 60 may further hold, as the section type 1504, information as to whether the section corresponds to "x passage section", "y passage section", or "both passage sections". In addition, in the present embodiment, the section having the passage is the section in the second stage area 200B.

A passage direction 1505 represents the direction in which the passage extends when the section of interest has a passage. A passage direction 1505 is a direction in which the conveying device 3 can move. "X-axis" means the x-direction, "Y-axis" means the y-direction, and "XY-axis" means the x-direction and the y-direction.

Note that even in the “x passage section” or “both passage sections”, at the end of the x-direction passage 310X (there is no adjacent section, or the adjacent section does not have an x-direction passage, etc.), the conveying device 3 If there is a direction in which the conveying device 3 cannot move, only the direction in which the conveying device 3 can move may be set as the passage direction 1505 . Similarly, even in the "y passage section" or "both passage section", at the end of the y direction passage 310Y (there is no adjacent section, or the adjacent section has no y direction passage, etc.), the transport device 3 If there is a direction in which the transport device 3 cannot move, only the direction in which the transport device 3 can move may be set as the passage direction 1505 . Therefore, the path direction 1505 is one or more of the "X axis", "Y axis", "XY axis", "+X axis", "-X axis", "+Y axis", and "-Y axis". may be set.

The turning enable/disable flag 1506 indicates whether or not the transport device 3 can turn in the section of interest. If the section of interest is the "x passage section" or the "y passage section", turning is not allowed, so the turning permission/prohibition flag 1506 is set to "impossible". If the section of interest is "both aisle sections" or "floor", it is possible to turn, so the turn permission/prohibition flag 1506 can be set to "possible". However, even if the section of interest is a "both aisle section" or a "floor," for example, in a specific section such as an unusable section, a battery station, or a shelf storage section, turning is prohibited or allowed to turn. If it is a section that the user does not want to turn, the turn permission flag 1506 may be set to "impossible".

The transportation cost 1507 is a value that is set when the target section is a shelf storage section, and is the moving distance from the target section to the picking station 6 (or the moving time when the moving speed of the transport device 3 is the standard speed). represents the transport cost as a value according to The value as the transportation cost may also be based on the weight of the shelf 5 .

Specifically, the transportation cost of the section of interest may be, for example, as follows. That is, the movement distance to the picking station 6 (for example, the number of sections passed until reaching the picking station 6) X1, the number of turns X2, the number of times the vertical conveyor 202 is used X3, and the number of shelves in the high-density arrangement area For example, the number of shelves 5 that need to be removed for transportation of 5 can be set to X4, and the number of times the shelves 5 can be moved up and down X5. In this way, let Xi be the element related to the transportation cost of the section of interest, and let Ai be the coefficient of each element. It may be calculated by the following formula.
C=A1*X1+A2*X2+A3*X3+A4*X4+A5*X5+...+An*Xn

A1, A2, . Note that other elements not mentioned above may be used as elements of the transportation cost (for example, if the path included in the moving route from the section of interest is a path that tends to cause traffic congestion, the transportation cost may increase). . Further, the moving distance or the number of floors moved by the vertical conveying machine 202 may be used as an element related to the transportation cost, and the greater the element, the higher the transportation cost. Note that the formula for calculating the transportation cost C is an example, and may be calculated by excluding some elements, for example. Other methods (another calculation formula or simulation) may be adopted as the transportation cost calculation method.

Also, here, the number of vertical conveyors 202 is generally smaller than that of the conveyors 3, for example, and they are valuable resources with limited transportation capacity, so the transportation cost increases when the vertical conveyors 202 are used. As such, the coefficient A3 described above may be set higher than the coefficients A1 and A2. Further, when it is necessary to move another shelf to transport the shelf 5 from the section of interest, the above-described coefficient A4 may be set higher than the coefficients A1 and A2.

If the section in the second stage area 200B (the area where the vertical transfer machine 202 needs to be used to transfer the shelves 5 to the picking station 6) is a section surrounded by shelves in the high-density placement area, A section is a section with a relatively high transport cost, and a shelf 5 with a relatively low transportability to the picking station 6 (a shelf 5 with a relatively low number of transports) is arranged in the section. It may be controlled by the processing program 51 of the control device 4 .

FIG. 16 is a diagram showing a configuration example of the boundary table 62. As shown in FIG.

The boundary table 62 holds information for each boundary between adjacent partitions. Boundary table 62 has a record for each boundary. Each record holds information such as boundary ID 1601 , street address 1602 , street address 1603 , direction 1604 and boundary division 1605 . Take one boundary as an example (“Boundary of Interest” in the description of FIG. 16).

A boundary ID 1601 represents the ID of the boundary of interest.

The address 1602 represents the address (positional information) of one of the adjacent blocks across the target boundary. The address 1603 represents the address (positional information) of the other of the adjacent blocks across the target boundary.

A direction 1604 represents a direction in which the transport device 3 can pass (move) through the boundary of interest. For example, the path 310 described above physically restricts the direction in which the transport device 3 can move, whereas the direction 1604 logically restricts the direction in which the transport device 3 can move. The directions 1604 can limit the directions in which the transport device 3 can move so that the transport device 3 does not move in directions where there is no path 310 . In addition, even if there is a path 310 and the transport device 3 is physically movable, the direction 1604 can be used to logically restrict the transport device 3 movement direction.

A boundary section 1605 indicates whether or not the conveying device 3 can pass through the target boundary with the shelf 5 loaded. If the boundary section 1605 is "without shelf/with shelf", it means that the conveying device 3 can pass through the target boundary with or without the shelf 5 loaded. On the other hand, when the boundary section 1605 is "no shelf", the transport device 3 without the shelf 5 can pass through the boundary of interest, but the transport device 3 with the shelf 5 loaded can pass the boundary of interest. means not possible.

According to the boundary table 62 illustrated in FIG. 16, for example, it is as follows.
・The boundary with the boundary ID “L1-3343” is not a boundary in the high-density placement area. Therefore, the shelf 5 can be taken out from the adjacent moving compartment. Therefore, a setting (boundary division “no shelf”) is made so that it is not possible to cross between the shelf storage sections while the transport device 3 is loaded with the shelves 5 .
- The boundaries with boundary IDs "L1-93103", "L1-9293" and "L1-9394" can only move in one direction.
・The boundary with the boundary ID “L2-3343” is a boundary in the high-density placement area. For this reason, a setting (boundary division "no shelf/with shelf") is made so that the transport device 3 can traverse between the shelf storage sections while the shelves 5 are loaded.

An example of processing performed in this embodiment will be described below. Note that the tables 53 to 62 are stored in the storage device 42 by the storage program 50 in this embodiment. Based on information (for example, information including measured values of sensors) that the control device 4 periodically or irregularly receives from each transport device 3, each vertical transport device 202, and each picking terminal 710, the storage program 50 , the corresponding portions of tables 53-62 are updated accordingly.

FIG. 17 is a flow chart showing the flow of the transport control process. The transport control process is repeatedly (for example, periodically) performed.

In S<b>1501 , the processing program 51 arranges the orders (records of the order table 55 ) in ascending order of work date/time 610 . The orders may be sorted in an order other than the ascending order of work date/time 610 . S1502 to S1504 are performed for each sorted order. Alternatively, the processing program 51 may combine a plurality of orders into one order, and S1502 to S1504 may be performed for such a combined order. A plurality of orders grouped into one order may be orders that share a predetermined type of element, such as orders for products contained in the same shelf. Here, one order is taken as an example (order of interest in the description of FIG. 17).

In S1502, the processing program 51 identifies the shelf 5 on which the product to be picked is mounted and the position of the shelf 5 based on the order of interest. Specifically, for example, the following processing is performed. Based on the order table 55, the inventory table 54, and the shelf table 57, the processing program 51 adds the shelf ID 704 corresponding to the product name 701 and product ID 702 that match the product name 605 and product ID 606 specified in the order of interest to the inventory table. 54. The processing program 51 identifies from the shelf table 57 the storage position 802 corresponding to the shelf ID 801 that matches the identified shelf ID 704 .

In S1503, the processing program 51 calculates the shelf position (shelf 5 storage position 802) is selected, and a movement route for transportation by the transport device 3 is created. That is, in S1503, the transport device 3 to which the transport task according to the order of interest is to be assigned is determined. The transport task may be a task of transporting the shelf 5 to be transported along the created movement route. Specifically, in S1503, for example, the processing program 51 may perform at least one of the following.
- The processing program 51 selects one carrier device 3 from one or more carrier devices 3 that meet a predetermined condition. The “predetermined condition” referred to here may be that at least the shelf flag 1102 is “absent”. The transport device 3 is selected based on the device status 1105, the shelf flag 1102, the position 1103, and the storage position 802 of the shelf 5 to be transported (the distance between the storage position 802 and the position of the target section) of each transport device 3. can be broken For example, the processing program 51 refers to the device transport table 53, and among the transport devices 3 that are in the same area as the storage position 802 of the shelf 5 to be transported and whose device status 1105 is “empty”, the storage position 802 is The transport device 3 at the closest position 1103 may be selected.
The processing program 51 includes the selected transport device 3 position 1103, the storage position 802 of the shelf 5 to be transported, the target section position (typically the picking station 6 or the vertical transport machine 202 position), and the selection Records for each section and each boundary (for example, path direction 1505, turn permission flag 1506, direction 1604 and boundary Section 1605) is used to create a moving route (including moving direction). The movement path may be, for example, a path from the position 1103 of the selected transport device 3 to the storage position 802 of the shelf 5 to be transported, or a path from the storage position 802 of the shelf 5 to be transported to the position of the target section. .
- The processing program 51 may refer to the picking table 58 . For example, the processing program 51 identifies a relatively empty picking station 6 (for example, a picking station 6 with a relatively small number of corresponding records in the picking table 58), and selects the empty picking station 6 as the target section. Station 6 may be determined.

In S1504, the processing program 51 transmits, to the transport device 3 selected in S1503, a movement instruction associated with the transport task assigned to the transport device 3 (transport task according to the order of interest).

When the shelf 5 in the second area 200B is to be transported to the picking station 6 in the first area 200A, the processing program 51, in S1503, selects, for example, the transportation device 3 in the second area 200B as the movement path. from the position 1103 to the storage position 802 of the shelf 5 to be transported, the route from the storage position 802 of the shelf 5 to be transported to the position of the vertical transport machine 202 (or the buffer section of the second area 200B), the vertical transport 202, from the position of the vertical transport 202 (or the buffer section of the first tier area 200A) to the picking station 6. Then, in S1504, a movement instruction for each movement path is transmitted to the transport device 3 in the second level area 200B, the vertical transport machine 202, each transport facility, and the transport device 3 in the first level area 200A.

In this transport control process, the transport task determined and assigned to each order is a task that meets the delivery date 608 of the order.

FIG. 18 is a flow chart showing the flow of shelf arrangement layout change processing. The shelf arrangement layout process may be executed in response to a request from an operator (an example of a user), or may be executed at a regular or irregular predetermined timing (e.g., when a specific section becomes unusable due to maintenance). etc.).

The processing program 51 receives from an operator (an example of a user) a selection of the layout of the shelves 5 (for example, selection of one of a plurality of patterns of the shelf arrangement layout), or creates a layout of the shelves 5. Receive (S1601). Here, for example, it may be determined where at least one of the low-density arrangement area and the high-density arrangement area is provided in the second stage area 200B.

The processing program 51 displays a UI (User Interface) based on the floor table 60 and the boundary table 62, for example, on the output device 44, and receives the setting of the direction 1604 and boundary section 1605 for each boundary (S1602). Regarding the boundary, at least one of the direction 1604 and the boundary section 1605 may be determined by calculation such as simulation by the processing program 51 . At that time, the direction 1604 may be the direction 1604 along the passage direction 1505 (the direction 1604 consistent with the passage direction 1505).

The processing program 51 calculates the transportation cost for each shelf storage section based on the arrangement layout of the shelves 5, the direction 1604 and the boundary section 1605 of the boundary between the shelf storage section and its adjacent section, The calculated transportation cost is stored in the floor table 60 (S1603).

The processing program 51 executes shelf storage position change processing (S1604).

FIG. 19 is a flow chart showing the flow of shelf storage position change processing.

The processing program 51 identifies the shelf 5 (S1701). Specifically, for example, at least one of the following (A), (B), and (C) may be performed.

(A) The processing program 51 sorts the records of the order table 55 in ascending order of the work date/time 610 and identifies the target shelf 5 . The “target shelf” referred to here is the shelf 5 that satisfies a predetermined condition, and may be, for example, the shelf 5 whose work date and time 610 belongs to the next day. In this case, at least one shelf 5 arranged in the second level area 200B among the "target shelf 5" is moved (changed) to the shelf storage section in the first level area 200A in S1702, By S1703, it may be unloaded to the first stage area 200A before the start of the picking work (for example, during the night of the previous day).

(B) The processing program 51 identifies the shelf 5 whose transport count 805 (or picking count 706) of the shelf is greater than or equal to the first count threshold. Regarding the shelf 5 specified here, in S1702, the destination (change destination) is set to a shelf storage section with a relatively low transportation cost. The "shelf storage section with relatively low transportation cost" may be the shelf storage section in the first level area 200A for the entire first level area 200A and second level area 200B, and for the second level area 200B, It may be a section that is relatively close to the vertical transport 202 (eg, a section in a low density placement area). As a result, for example, the shelf storage section of the shelf whose transport count 805 (or picking count 706) is equal to or greater than the first count threshold is changed from the second level area 200B to the first level area 200A. The high-density arrangement area in the second stage area 200B is changed to the low-density arrangement area in the second stage area 200B.

(C) The processing program 51 identifies shelves whose transport count 805 (or picking count 706) is less than the second threshold. The "second number threshold" is equal to or smaller than the first number threshold. Regarding the shelf identified here, in S1702, the destination (change destination) is set to a shelf storage section with a relatively high transportation cost. The "shelf storage section with a relatively high transportation cost" may be the shelf storage section in the second level area 200A for the entire first level area 200A and second level area 200B, and for the second level area 200B, It may be a section that is relatively far from the vertical conveyor 202 (eg, a section in a high density placement area). As a result, for example, the shelf storage section of the shelf whose transportation count 805 (or picking count 706) of the shelf is less than the second count threshold is changed from the first-tier area 200A to the second-tier area 200B. The low-density arrangement area in the second stage area 200B is changed to the high-density arrangement area in the second stage area 200B.

The processing program 51 determines the destination shelf storage section of the shelf 5 specified in S1701, selects a transport device for transporting the shelf 5, for example, based on the device transport table 53, and stores the current shelf storage section of the shelf. A moving route (including moving direction) connecting the section and the shelf storage section to which the shelf is to be moved is created based on the map table 56, the floor table 60, the boundary table 62, etc. (S1702). In S1702, the processing program 51 selects a movement instruction associated with a transport task for transporting the shelf (the shelf specified in S1701) along the movement path (including the movement direction) created in S1702. is sent to the conveying device (S1703).

FIG. 20 is a diagram showing a floor table 2060 as another configuration example of the floor table 60. As shown in FIG.

The floor table 2060 holds information for each section in the first stage area 200A and the second stage area 200B. Floor table 2060 has a record for each partition. Each record holds information such as an address 1501, section setting 1502, unusable flag 1503, section type 1504, passage direction 1505, turning flag 1506, transportation cost 1507, direction (without shelf) 1508 and direction (with shelf) 1509. do. Take one section as an example (“target section” in the description of FIG. 20).

Since the records 1501 to 1507 of the floor table 2060 in FIG. 20 are the same as the records 1501 to 1507 of the floor table 60 in FIG. 15, the description thereof will be omitted. A direction (without shelf) 1508 is a direction in which the transport device 3 in a state without a shelf (a state in which the shelf 5 is not loaded) can move from the section of interest, and logically restricts the direction in which the transport device 3 can move. can be set to Similarly, a direction (with shelf) 1509 is a direction in which the transport device 3 with a shelf (a state in which the shelf 5 is loaded) can move from the partition of interest. Can be set to restrict. By setting the direction (without shelf) 1508 and the direction (with shelf) 1509, for example, among the directions in which the transport device 3 can physically move, movement in some directions is prohibited, and movement in only the remaining directions is prohibited. It is also possible to restrict it to possible, for example, one-way traffic can be set.

In the example of FIG. 20, for the direction (without shelf) 1508 and the direction (with shelf) 1509, the movable directions are "+x", "-x", "+y", "-y", "±x", and "±y". or a combination thereof, but may be expressed in other ways. For example, for each section, for each of the “+x direction”, “−x direction”, “+y direction”, and “−y direction”, whether or not the transport device 3 can move with the shelf 5 loaded, and whether the transport device 3 can move the shelf 5 It may also be possible to set whether or not it is possible to move the container without loading it.

It can be said that the direction (without shelf) 1508 and the direction (with shelf) 1509 of the floor table 2060 in FIG. Therefore, the processing program 51 may refer to the direction (without shelf) 1508 and direction (with shelf) 1509 of the floor table 2060 for processing performed by referring to the direction 1604 and the boundary section 1605 of the boundary table 62. .

In addition, there may be a plurality of shelves 5 storing the quantity of products specified (requested) by a certain order (order of interest). The processing program 51 of the control device 4 may select (determine) which shelf 5 is to be transported to the picking station 6 in order to process the order of interest, depending on the location of the plurality of shelves 5. .

For example, the processing program 51 may select the shelf 5 in the first area 200A rather than the shelf 5 in the second area 200B in order to improve the transportation efficiency. When transporting the shelf 5 in the second-level area 200B, it is necessary to transport by the transport device 3 in the second-level area 200B, the vertical transporter 202, and the transport device 3 in the first-level area 200A. Shipping costs are likely to be higher. Similarly, the processing program 51 prefers the shelves 5 in the high-density area (especially the shelves 5 surrounded by the shelves 5) to other shelves 5 (for example, the shelves 5 in the low-density area). The shelf 5) in the first stage area 200A may be selected. In addition, the processing program 51 may select the shelf 5 closer to the picking station 6 of the transport destination from among the plurality of shelves 5 in order to improve transport efficiency.

For the above selection, the processing program 51 refers to the order table 55, the shelf table 57, and the floor table 2060, specifies the sections of the plurality of shelves 5 where the target product of the order of interest is located, and conveys each section (address 1501). Based on the cost 1507, the shelf 5 located in the section with the smallest transportation cost 1507 may be selected. For the above selection, the processing program 51 refers to the order table 55, the shelf table 57 and the floor table 2060, identifies the sections of the plurality of shelves 5 where the target product of the order of interest is located, and determines the address 1501 of each section. Based on the layout information, it is also possible to specify and select the position and attributes of the partition (second-stage area 200B or first-stage area 200A, high-density arrangement area or low-density arrangement area, etc.). Also, any of the tables may additionally hold additional information necessary for those selections.

Although several embodiments have been described above, these are examples for explaining the present invention, and are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention only to these embodiments. The present invention can also be implemented in various other forms.

Also, for example, the shape of the partition is not limited to a square, and may be another shape. Also, compartments of different sizes or shapes may be mixed. Also, the position of the section may be identified by other types of methods instead of being identified from the two-dimensional barcode on the section.

Also, for example, the storage program 50 and the processing program 51 may be executed by the transport device 3 instead of or in addition to the control device 4 . Further, the conveying device 3 may also serve as the control device 4 .

Further, for example, in the present embodiment, an example of using the vertical transfer machine 202 as the inter-area transfer machine has been shown, but the vertical transfer machine 202 is a forklift that can transfer the shelf 5 in the vertical direction. It can be replaced by a transfer machine. In this case, the controller 4 may also determine the position at which the forklift will carry the shelf 5 vertically.

An object transported from an area other than the first-stage area 200A to the first-stage area 200A by a forklift may be directly transferred to the transport device 3 .

The present invention can also be applied to a transport system for transporting goods in factories, workshops, and the like, other than warehouses used by companies such as online shopping companies to store products. Specifically, the objects to be conveyed by the conveying device 3 may be objects other than the shelf 5, such as trays, boxes, pallets, or articles. In this case, the trays, boxes, and pallets may or may not contain articles (for example, if the trays, boxes, and pallets themselves are the goods to be conveyed). In this case, it is only necessary to replace the "shelf" with the "conveyed article", so detailed description will be omitted. Further, the work for such conveyed goods may be work other than picking work, such as processing, assembly, packing, or inspection. In this case, it is only necessary to replace "picking" and "picking work" with "work", so detailed description will be omitted.

The above description can be summarized as follows, for example. The following summary may include supplementary explanations of the above explanations and explanations of variations of the above embodiments.

Shelf transport by the transport device 3 is performed not only in the first stage area 200A but also in the second stage area 200B. For the sake of convenience, one conveying device in the first stage area 200A is referred to as "first conveying apparatus", and one conveying apparatus in the second stage area 200B is referred to as "second conveying apparatus".

A passage 310 for the conveying device 3 is provided in the second stage area 200B. The control device 4 controls the movement direction in the transport task assigned to the second transport device to move the second transport device to the destination in the second stage area 200B based on the direction in which the path 310 extends. . Conveyance of the shelf 5 in the second area 200B can also be controlled by running control of the conveying apparatus 3 in the same manner as in the first area 200A. is controlled based on the above, it is possible to improve the transport efficiency of the shelf 5 in the multi-stage area.

The passage 310 may extend over the entire or part of the travel range in which the second conveying device can travel in the second area 200B (specifically, for example, the second area 200B It may be composed of a plurality of sections 251 arranged along the x direction and the y direction, and among the plurality of sections 251, the sections 251 included in the travel range are the x passage section, the y passage section, and both passage sections. can be either). The control device 4 creates a movement route for the second conveying device based on area information including information representing the direction in which the passage 310 extends for each position (for example, each section 251) in the travel range, and The direction of movement in transport tasks assigned to two transport devices may be controlled. It is expected that an appropriate moving route will be created, and thus the efficiency of transporting the shelf 5 can be expected to be improved. In addition, the area information may include information representing a position (for example, section 251) and a relationship between the passage 310 and the permitted moving direction at the position (for example, section 251), and the control device 4 identifies from the area information. The movement route of the second transport device may be created based on the direction in which the second transport device can move. As a result, it can be expected that the transport efficiency is further improved by restricting the movement direction.

The second stage area 200B may have a high-density placement area. The control device 4 controls the moving direction in the transport task for moving at least one shelf 5 for moving the surrounded shelf 5 based on the extending direction of the passage 310 of the second stage area 200B. good. As a result, it can be expected that storage efficiency can be improved while suppressing a decrease in transport efficiency.

Note that the first-stage area 200A may have a low-density placement region and may not have a high-density placement region. In this way, an improvement in transport efficiency can be expected while an improvement in storage efficiency is realized in the second stage area 200B.

Also, both the first-stage area 200A and the second-stage area 200B may have high-density placement areas. As a result, an improvement in storage efficiency can be expected.

In addition, in the second stage area 200B, the high-density placement area may be provided at a position farther from the position where the shelves 5 are placed on the vertical conveyor 202 than the low-density placement area. As a result, it can be expected that storage efficiency can be improved while suppressing a decrease in transport efficiency.

In the second tier area 200B, a high density placement area may be provided near the vertical conveyor 202 to improve storage efficiency.

For each shelf 5 in the second stage area 200B, the control device 4 determines the arrangement position of the shelf 5, the number of times of transportation 805 or the number of times of picking 706 of the shelf 5, and the transportation cost of each position in the second stage area 200B. A transport task for arranging the shelf 5 at the determined placement position may be assigned to the second transport apparatus. For each position in the second stage area 200B, the transportation cost is higher as the movement route or movement time between the position and the position where the shelf 5 is placed on the vertical conveyor 202 is longer. The high-density placement area is located at a position where the transportation cost is relatively high, and the low-density placement area is located at a position where the transportation cost is relatively low. A shelf 5 that is placed in the high-density placement area and has a relatively high transport count 805 or picking count 706 may be placed in the low-density placement region. As a result, it can be expected that storage efficiency can be improved while suppressing a decrease in transport efficiency.

In addition, in the entirety of the first-stage area 200A and the second-stage area 200B, an object with a relatively high number of transportations 805 or 706 may be placed in the first-stage area 200A, and the number of transportations 805 or 706 may be relatively high. Conveyed items with a low number of pickings 706 may be arranged in the second stage area 200B. At that time, the objects with relatively low transport count 805 or picking count 706 in the second stage area 200B are placed at a position relatively far from the position where the shelf 5 is placed on the vertical transport machine 202 (for example, a position in the high-density arrangement area). ). As a result, it can be expected that storage efficiency can be improved while suppressing a decrease in transport efficiency.

3: Conveyor, 4: Control device

Claims (11)

a first transport device that transports an article placed in the first area by traveling in the first area according to an assigned transport task;
a second transport device that transports an article placed in the second area by traveling in the second area according to an assigned transport task;
an inter-area conveyer for conveying an article between the first area and the second area;
a control device for controlling a transport task assigned to each of the first and second transport devices;
with
The first area and the second area exist in the storage space for the transported object,
The first area is an area where a predetermined work is performed on the conveyed object,
The second area is an area located higher than the first area,
a transport task assigned to each of the first and second transport devices includes a moving direction of the transport device;
The second area is provided with a passage for the second conveying device,
The control device determines a direction of movement in a transport task to be assigned to the second transport device for movement of the second transport device to a destination in the second area as an extension of a passage in the second area. control based on the direction
transport system. The passage extends over the entire or part of a travel range in which the second conveying device can travel in the second area,
The control device creates a moving route for the second transport device based on area information including information indicating the direction in which the passage extends for each position in the travel range, and assigns it to the second transport device. to control the direction of movement in transport tasks,
A transport system according to claim 1 . The area information includes information representing the relationship between locations and passages at locations and permitted directions of movement;
The control device creates a moving route for the second transport device based on the direction in which the second transport device can move, which is specified from the area information.
3. The transport system according to claim 2. The second area is composed of a plurality of sections arranged along the x-direction and the y-direction orthogonal to the x-direction,
Among the plurality of sections, the section included in the travel range in which the second conveying device can travel is either an x passage section, a y passage section, or both passage sections,
The x-passage section is a section that has x-direction passages that are passages that extend in the x-direction but does not have y-direction passages that are passages that extend in the y-direction;
the y-path section is a section having y-direction passages but no x-direction passages;
both passage sections are sections having intersecting x-direction passages and y-direction passages;
The control device creates a moving route for the second transport device based on area information including information indicating the direction in which the passage of each section in the travel range extends, and assigns it to the second transport device. to control the direction of movement in transport tasks,
A transport system according to claim 1 . The area information includes information representing the relationship between the section, the passage in the section, and the permitted direction of movement,
The control device creates a moving route for the second transport device based on the direction in which the second transport device can move, which is specified from the area information.
5. The transport system according to claim 4. the second area has a high-density placement region;
In the high-density arrangement area, a plurality of objects and an object surrounded by the plurality of objects are arranged, and at least one of the plurality of objects is transported for moving the surrounded object. It is an area where it is necessary to move things,
The control device controls a moving direction in a transport task for moving the at least one transported object for moving the enclosed transported object based on the extending direction of the path in the second area. ,
A transport system according to claim 1 . the first area has a low-density placement region and does not have the high-density placement region;
The low-density arrangement area is an area in which a plurality of objects are arranged but no objects are surrounded by the plurality of objects.
A transport system according to claim 6 . The second area has a low-density placement region in addition to the high-density placement region,
The low-density arrangement area is an area in which a plurality of items are arranged but no items are surrounded by the plurality of items,
The high-density arrangement area is provided at a position farther from the position where the conveyed product is placed on the inter-area conveyor than the low-density arrangement area,
A transport system according to claim 6 . The control device controls, for each article to be conveyed in the second area,
determining the arrangement position of the article to be conveyed based on the number of times the article is conveyed or the number of times a predetermined work is performed, and the transportation cost of each position in the second area;
assigning a transport task of arranging the transported article to the determined arrangement position to the second transport device;
For each position in the second area, the transportation cost is higher the longer the movement path or the movement time between the position and the position where the article is placed on the inter-area conveyor,
The high-density placement area is located at a position where the transportation cost is relatively high,
The low-density placement area is located at a position where transportation costs are relatively low,
Conveyed items with a relatively low number of times of transportation or the number of times of predetermined work are arranged in the high-density arrangement area,
Conveyed items with a relatively high number of times of transportation or the number of times of predetermined work are arranged in the low-density arrangement area,
A transport system according to claim 8 . The control device controls, for each article to be conveyed in the first area and the second area,
determining the arrangement position of the article to be conveyed based on the number of times the article is conveyed and the transportation cost of each position in the first area and the second area;
assigning a transport task of arranging the transported article to the determined arrangement position to the second transport device;
For each position in the second area, the transportation cost is a cost based on the direction in which the passage in the second area extends;
For each position in the first area and the second area, the transport cost is based on the length of travel route or travel time between the position and the position where the predetermined work is performed,
Conveyed items with a relatively low number of times of transportation or the number of times of predetermined work are arranged in the second area,
An article to be conveyed or the number of predetermined operations to be carried out in the second area is relatively low, and is arranged at a position relatively far from a position where the article is placed on the inter-area transfer machine;
Items to be transported that have a relatively high number of transports or a number of predetermined operations are placed in the first area.
A transport system according to claim 1 . controlling a transport task to be assigned to a first transport device that transports an article placed in the first area by traveling in the first area according to the assigned transport task;
The movement direction in the transport task assigned to the second transport device that transports the transported object arranged in the second area by traveling in the second area according to the assigned transport task is set in the second area. Control based on the direction in which the passage extends,
The first area and the second area exist in the storage space for the transported object,
The first area is an area where a predetermined work is performed on the conveyed object,
The second area is an area located higher than the first area,
An object is transported between the first area and the second area by an inter-area transporter,
The second area is provided with a passage for the second transport device,
Conveyance control method.

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