JP2509549B2 - Sorting system - Google Patents

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an improvement of a sorting system used in a distribution process of products, and an object of the present invention is to improve the efficiency of product collection work.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art At distribution centers for products for supermarkets and convenience stores, collection work is performed to collect various products ordered according to the order from each store. Is often done using a sorting system.

As disclosed in Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open No. 4-22408, for example, this sorting system is provided with a plurality of collection areas for collecting ordered products for each store along the transportation route of the products and Each collection area is equipped with a quantity indicator that displays the number of products put into that area, and when the product number is specified, for example, by reading a barcode, the order from each store for that product The quantity is displayed on the quantity display in each collection area. According to this system, for each product, while the worker moves along the above-mentioned transport path, the worker puts each product in the collection area by the number displayed on the number display and repeats this for all the products, Ordered products will be available for each store according to the number of ordered items.

[0004]

By the way, in the above system, in order to prevent mistakes in collecting goods, when the goods are put in the collecting area, the completion key is turned on to display the number display. It is possible to start the work for the next product when the number display in the collection area of all stores that have received an order for one product has been deleted, In this case, the following inefficient situation occurs with respect to the products for which the number of order-receiving stores is small.

That is, the products handled by this type of system are usually ordered from most or many of the target stores.
It is possible that an order may only be placed from a particular store or a very small number of stores. In this case, when the number of the product is specified by reading the barcode etc. while trying to collect the product, the number display in a specific area or a very small number of the many collection areas. However, even in such a case, the worker still has to carry the product to the specific collection area or a very small collection area. In that case, it is unclear where the collection area where the number of pieces input is displayed on the quantity display is located in the entire work area.Therefore, the operator takes an order while looking at the display of each area with the product. Therefore, it is necessary to search for the area of the store, and as a result, the walking distance becomes long due to a very small number of products, the walking frequency increases, and a great deal of labor is required.

[0006] Therefore, the present invention makes it possible to efficiently perform the work for the above-mentioned products which are ordered only from a specific or a very small number of stores, and therefore, the collection work using this sort system is performed. The task is to improve efficiency.

[0007]

Means for Solving the Problems In order to solve the above problems, the present invention is characterized in that it is configured as follows.

First, the invention according to claim 1 of the present application (hereinafter referred to as “the invention”)
The first invention) is provided with a plurality of collection areas for collecting ordered products for each destination store along the transportation route for transporting the products for each item, and these collection areas are currently being processed. In the sorting system, each of which is provided with a number display device for displaying the number of ordered items of the product, and the worker puts the product into each collecting area by the number displayed on the number display device while moving on the transport path, Order-receiving-store-number determining means for determining whether or not the number of order-receiving stores for the product to be processed this time is less than a set value, and when the number of order-receiving stores determined by the determining means is less than the set value, the store that has received the order And a display unit for displaying the location of the collection area corresponding to the item and the number of orders for the item from the store.

The invention according to claim 2 (hereinafter referred to as the second invention) determines whether or not the number of ordered stores of the product to be processed this time is less than a set value in the same sorting system as the first invention. And a quantity display prohibition means for prohibiting the display of the quantity of orders received by the quantity indicator in each of the collection areas when the quantity of ordered stores judged by the judgment means is smaller than a set value. When the number display is prohibited by the prohibition means, a display means is provided for displaying the location of the collection area corresponding to the store that received the order for the product and the number of ordered products of the product from the store. Characterize.

Further, the invention according to claim 3 (hereinafter, referred to as the third
The invention is referred to as "invention" as the display means in the first and second inventions, and when the number of stores receiving an order for the product to be processed this time is less than a set value, the location of the collection area corresponding to the store that received the order for the product. A printer is used which prints and issues the number of orders of the merchandise from the store on label paper or journal paper.

[0011]

According to the above-described structure, in any of the first to third aspects of the present invention, when the number of ordered stores for the product to be processed this time is smaller than the set value, for example, a specific 1
When a product is ordered only from a very small number of stores such as a store or a few stores, the location of the collection area corresponding to the store for which the product is ordered and the number of orders from that store are It will be displayed on the display means. Therefore, the worker can recognize in advance the location of the product collection area in which the product should be inserted and the number of products to be inserted, whereby the product collection work of the product can be efficiently performed.

According to the second aspect of the invention, in particular, when the number of orders for the processed product this time is less than the set value, the display of the number of ordered items by the number indicator in each collecting area is prohibited. It is possible to start the work for the next product without putting the item into the collection area and performing the operation of turning on the completion key. Therefore, when the number of ordered stores of the product to be processed is smaller than the set value, the location of the product collection area and the number of ordered products for the product are recognized by the display of the display means, and then the product is placed in the product collection area. You can immediately start the work on the next product without having to put the product with the number of ordered stores less than the set value into the collection area for the next processing product. Can be performed at the same time as the inputting work, and the walking distance or the number of times of walking can be reduced.

Further, according to the third aspect of the invention, the location of the collection area, the number of ordered items, etc. for the products for which the number of ordered stores is less than the set value are printed and issued on the label paper or the journal paper. By sticking or carrying the paper on the product, it is possible to surely prevent an error in the collection area and the number of pieces put in the collection area. Especially, in the case of the second invention, the order-receiving store When the number of products whose number is smaller than the set value is processed at the same time as the collecting operation for the next product, the above-mentioned mistake is effectively prevented.

[0014]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below.

First, the overall configuration of the sorting system according to this embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS.

As shown in FIG. 1, this sorting system has collection shelves 1, 1 arranged in rows, and a transport path 2 for transporting products along these collection shelves 1, 1. In addition to being provided, an operation console 3 for work management is provided at the start position of the path 2. A bar code scanner 4 for reading a bar code attached to a product and a label printer 5 that prints and issues predetermined information on a label when the number of ordering stores are small are connected to the console 3. ing.

On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 2, the collection shelf 1 has a plurality of upper and lower stages, each of which is provided with a large number of collection areas 6 ... Area 6 ... 6 has a container 7 for collecting goods at each destination store
… 7 is placed. Further, above each of the collection areas 6 ... 6, a loading instruction lamp 8 for instructing loading of products into the area 6, a quantity indicator 9 for displaying the number of loaded goods, and an operator when the loading is completed. And a completion key 10 that is turned on by.

Further, as shown in FIG. 3, a host computer 11 is provided in the transfer center or the like, and the operation console 3 and the collecting areas 6 ... 6 are loaded into the host computer 11 via a relay 12. An instruction lamp 8, a quantity display 9 and a completion key 10 are connected. And FIG.
The operator A shown in FIG.
When the bar code attached to the product to be processed next is read by the bar code scanner 4 connected to the store, data such as the store that received the order for the product and the number of orders received from those stores. Is read from the host computer 11 and transmitted to the repeater 12,
Via the repeater 12, the loading instruction lamps 8 ... 8 in the collection areas 6 ... 6 corresponding to the stores in the respective collection areas 6 ... 6 are turned on all at once, and these areas are also turned on. 6
The number display unit 9 of 6 displays the number of orders received from each store.

While the worker A carries the required number of the commodities or places them on a trolley or the like and moves the conveyance path 2, the loading instruction lamp 8 in each of the collection areas 6 ... 6 lights up. In the area 6 in which the items are displayed, if the products are put into the container 7 by the number displayed on the number display 9 and the completion key 10 is turned on, the products will be conveyed at the time when the transportation route 2 is completed. After the work of inserting the product into the containers 7 ... 7 of all the stores that have received an order is completed and this process is repeated for all target products, the product ordered from each store is delivered to each store. The containers 7 ... 7 will be ordered according to the number of orders.

By the way, according to the sorting system as described above, even when the ordering store for a certain product is one store or a very small number of stores, up to the collection area 6 of the ordering store. It is necessary to carry the goods and put them in the container 7 and turn on the completion key 10. In that case, the worker A
Since it is unclear where the collection area 6 of the order-received store is located in the entire work area, it is necessary to look for the corresponding area 6 while looking at the loading instruction lamp 8 of each area 6, and therefore the order is received. Although the number of stores is remarkably small and therefore the number of processed products is remarkably small, the same labor and the same number of walks as those for products ordered from many stores are required.

Therefore, in this system, an operation for eliminating the above-mentioned trouble is carried out. Next, this operation will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

First, as a step S1, the minimum ordering store number N is set when the normal collecting operation is performed according to the display on the number display 9 ... 9 as described above. This set value N is a relatively small number of 2 or more. Now, for example, if the set value N is set to 3, it follows the normal number display for products for which the number of ordered stores is 3 or more. Work, that is, the quantity display 9 ... 9 in each collection area 6 ... 6 displays the quantity of each order received from the store,
According to the display, the product is put into the containers 7 ... 7 in each of the collection areas 6 ... 6. In other words, if the ordering store number is 2 or only 1 store, Will not perform this normal collection operation. Then, in step S2, the host computer 11 classifies, for all target products, whether or not to display the number of products, depending on whether or not the number of ordered stores is the set value N or more. .

Next, in step S3, when the operator reads the bar code attached to the product to be processed next by the bar code scanner 4 at the start position of the transport path 2, the number indicated by the bar code is displayed. The order data for the product is transmitted to the relay device 12 together with the data indicating whether the product is the number display product or the non-number display product, and in step S4, it is determined which product this product is. .

If the product is the number display product, that is, if the number of ordered stores is equal to or more than the set value N, steps S5 to S
In accordance with 8, the normal collecting operation is performed according to the number display. That is, if the operator turns on the start switch of the console 3 in step S5, the loading instruction lamps 8 ... 8 in the collection areas 6 ... 6 corresponding to the store that received the order in step S6 are lit, and The number display unit 9 displays the ordered quantity of the product from each store, and the worker moves along the transport path 2 and inserts the product and completes the key 10 according to the number display. 6 is performed for all collection areas 6 ... 6 in which the closing instruction lamp 8 is turned on.

On the other hand, if the product to be processed this time is a non-quantity display product, that is, if the number of ordered stores is less than the set value N, the above steps S4 to S9, S1.
0 is executed to prohibit the lighting of the closing instruction lamp 8 and the display of the ordered quantity by the quantity indicator 9 as described above, and at this time, the label printer 5 connected to the console 3
Label is issued from. As shown in FIG. 5, the label includes the product name, the location number of the collection area 6 of the store, for example, the column number, the shelf number, the display device number, etc., and the number of orders of the product from the store. Is printed.

Therefore, in step S11, the operator takes the number of the products concerned printed in the collection area 6 of the location number printed on this label and places them in the container 7 in the collection area 6. In that case, since the location number of the collection area 6 into which the product is to be supplied is known by the above label, in this case, as in the case of following the normal display of the number of products, the injection instruction lamp 8 is There is no need to search for the illuminated collection area 6.

When the above label is issued, the worker attaches the label to the product and immediately starts the work on the next product from step S3 without executing step S11. You may. That is, when the next product is a product for displaying the normal number of products, the above steps S5 to S8 are performed, but at this time, the next product is placed in the container of each collection area 6 ... 6. 7 ... In addition to the work to be put in 7, it is only necessary to put the above-mentioned products whose number is not displayed in the container 7 in the collection area 6 of the location number printed on the label. The walking distance or the number of walks will be reduced.

Here, when the set value N is 3 or more, there is a possibility that there are a plurality of order-received stores for products whose number is not displayed. In this case, the label is issued in step S10. It will be carried out for each of the plurality of stores.

Then, in step S12, when the collection work for the products for which the number display is performed or the work for the products without the number display is completed for all the target products, each collection area 6 In the container 7 of 7 ... 7, the products ordered from each store are arranged in the ordered quantity.

In the above description, in the case of non-quantity display products, the turning on of the loading instruction lamp 8 in the collection area 6 and the number display by the number display 9 are prohibited. It may be performed in the same manner as. However,
In this case, before starting work on the next product,
The non-quantity display product must be carried to the area 6 and the completion key 10 must be turned on.

Further, instead of issuing the label, the information as shown in FIG. 5 may be printed on the journal paper to be issued. Further, the issuance of the label and the journal may be omitted and the operator console 3 may be omitted. Collection area 6 for non-quantity display products
The location number, the number of orders received, etc. may be displayed and the product may be handwritten.

[0032]

As described above, according to the present invention, in the sorting system in which the ordered products from each store are arranged according to the number of ordered products, the number of ordered stores for the product to be processed this time is, for example, one specific store. Or 2-3
When there are only a small number of stores, such as the store, the location of the collection area corresponding to the store that received the order for the product and the number of orders from the store are displayed on the display means. It is possible to recognize in advance the location of the collection area where the product should be placed and the number of items to be placed. This eliminates the hassle of having to look for the area of the store that received the order by looking at the display of each area while the operator takes the product along the transportation route, which is great for very few products. Therefore, the waste of labor required is eliminated, and the efficiency of this type of collecting operation is improved.

In particular, according to the second aspect of the present invention, when the number of ordered stores for the processed product this time is less than or equal to the set value, the work of putting the product into the collection area of the store is performed for each of the processed products of the next time. It is possible to perform the operation together with the loading operation to the collection area, so that the processing for the product for which the number of order-receiving stores is small can be performed more efficiently. Further, according to the third invention, as described above, It becomes possible to correctly and correctly perform work that does not follow the normal display of the number of products for which the number of ordered stores is small.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a sorting system showing an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic front view showing the configuration of a collection shelf.

FIG. 3 is a control system diagram of the sorting system.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing a work procedure.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of printing a label.

[Explanation of symbols]

 2 Conveyance route 5 Display means (label printer) 6 Collection area 9 Quantity display

Claims (3)

(57) [Claims] 1. A plurality of collection areas for collecting ordered products for each destination store are provided along a transportation route for transporting the products for each item, and the products currently being processed in these collection areas. In the sorting system, each of which is equipped with a quantity display device for displaying the ordered quantity of each item, and the worker puts the goods into each collecting area according to the number of pieces displayed on the quantity display device while moving through the transportation route, To determine whether or not the number of ordered stores of the product to be ordered is smaller than a set value, and when the number of ordered stores to be judged by the judging means is smaller than the set value, correspond to the order-received store A sorting system, comprising: a display unit that displays the location of the collection area and the number of orders for the product from the store. 2. A plurality of collection areas for collecting ordered products are provided for each destination store along a transportation route for transporting the products for each item, and the products currently being processed in these collection areas. In the sorting system, each of which is equipped with a quantity display device for displaying the ordered quantity of each item, and the worker puts the goods into each collecting area according to the number of pieces displayed on the quantity display device while moving through the transport route, is processed this time. Ordering store number determining means for determining whether or not the number of ordering stores for the product to be purchased is less than a set value, and when the number of ordered stores determined by the determining means is less than the set value, display of the number in each of the collection areas A quantity display prohibition means for prohibiting the display of the ordered quantity by the container, and a location of the collection area corresponding to the store that received the order for the merchandise when the quantity display is prohibited by the prohibition means. And a display unit for displaying the number of products ordered from the store. 3. The display means is a printer that prints and issues the location of a collection area corresponding to a store that has received an order for the product and the number of orders of the product from the store on paper. Claim 1 or claim 2 characterized
Sorting system described in.