JP2571504B2 - Picking display system - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a picking display system using an automatic guided vehicle for loading a plurality of articles on pallets for a plurality of customers at a distribution center or the like.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In a distribution center or the like, a picking system for picking a certain quantity of a certain kind of articles according to a shipping request is used. There is a type of picking system consisting of a combination of two automatic warehouses and automatic guided vehicles. In this type of picking system, a stacker crane runs between each set of shelves in an automated warehouse, transporting pallets loaded with a single item on each shelf, and supplying pallets to the bottom of the shelves. I do.

[0003] The lowermost shelf of each shelf series is a picking station from which an operator can take out articles from the rear side opposite to the side on which the stacker crane runs,
The picking worker takes out the articles and places a certain number of articles indicated by the display device provided for each picking station on a plurality of automatic guided vehicles traveling on a traveling route close to the picking station. Has become.

[0004]

In such a picking system, when the automatic guided vehicle stops in front of a picking station on which a target article is placed, the automatic guided vehicle sends a presence signal to the central control unit. The central control was activating the corresponding picking station display. Since the worker can know that the picking should be performed only after the display device is activated, the picking worker starts moving toward the picking station after the display device is activated, so that the start of the picking operation is delayed, It was inefficient.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a picking display system that allows a picking worker to know a picking station where a picking operation is to be performed without waiting for the arrival of an unmanned carrier.

[0006]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides an automatic warehouse rack comprising a plurality of picking stations arranged side by side on a rear surface of a shelf opposite to a side on which a stacker crane travels. Provided
A picking system that picks up articles on a plurality of automatic guided vehicles that travel along a row of picking stations , based on a picking instruction of a display device ,
One unmanned guided vehicle and this unmanned guided vehicle
With the intended picking station on which
If there is another unmanned guided vehicle ahead,
Unmanned guided vehicle passes through the desired picking station
From the picking station for this purpose
Activate the display device and pick up the desired pick
Activates the display before arriving at the
The picking display system was configured to do so.

[0007]

The present invention has the above-described structure, and has the following effects.

According to the picking display system of the present invention, a display device is provided for each picking station.
Eye on which items to be picked are placed
The display of the target picking station operates in advance without waiting for the arrival of the automatic guided vehicle . The purpose of picking workers is to work before the automatic guided vehicle arrives
Go to the picking station and wait. That
At this time, of the two unmanned guided vehicles traveling back and forth, only the following unmanned guided vehicle picks at the target picking station, and the preceding unmanned guided vehicle picks up the picking station.
If picking is not performed in the
Display until the car passes its picking station
Location is not to operate, and to avoid confusion.

[0009]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The embodiment shown in the drawings will be described below.

FIG. 1 is a plan view showing an embodiment of a picking display system according to the present invention.

In FIG. 1, the picking system includes two automatic warehouses 1, 2 juxtaposed. Each automatic warehouse 1, 2
Has two shelves 3, 3, and a crane 4 travels between the shelves 3, 3 to carry in and out of articles. The frontage of the shelves 3, 3 faces the crane 4, from which pallets loaded with articles are taken in and out. At one end of each shelf 3, a storage station 6 or a storage station 5 is provided. At the other end of each shelf 3, an empty pallet magazine 7
Is arranged.

A picking station 8 is provided at the bottom of each shelf 3, and the crane 4 takes out a pallet loaded with articles from the frontage of each shelf 3 and places it on the picking station 8. The articles on the pallet placed on the picking station 8 can be taken out from the rear side of each shelf 3 by an operator.

A traveling route 10 on which a plurality of automatic guided vehicles 9 travel is provided near the rear surface of each shelf 3. The traveling route 10 is determined by electric wires laid on the floor to guide the automatic guided vehicle 9, white tape attached to the floor, map data stored in a control device of the automatic guided vehicle 9, and the like. . On the side of the traveling route 10, a single item pallet replenishment station 11a, a single pallet shipping station 11b for unloading single item pallets as they are, an empty pallet supply station 11c, and a layered picker or palletizing robot (not shown) are already stacked. Pallet receiving station 11 for receiving pallets
d, a shipping station 11e is arranged. The traveling operation of the automatic guided vehicle 9 is controlled by a control device mounted on the automatic guided vehicle 9, but the FROM-TO control and the route instruction are controlled by a central control device (not shown). 9 to the control device.

In this picking system, a picking operation is performed in the following procedure.

The stacker cranes 4 of the automatic warehouses 1 and 2
A single item pallet in which many items of a single item are stacked from each shelf 3 is placed on a picking station 8 at a fixed position.
When there is no more article on the single item pallet placed on the picking station 8, the empty pallet is moved to the pallet magazine 7 to supply a substitute single item pallet.

When receiving the shipment request, the central control unit allocates picking data to each of the automatic guided vehicles 9. That is, each automatic guided vehicle 9 determines how many articles of which type are picked. The automatic guided vehicle 9 to which the picking operation is assigned stops at the front of the empty pallet supply station 11c and receives the empty pallet. Storage of the single item pallets into the automatic warehouses 1 and 2 is performed by the automatic guided vehicle 9 transporting the single item pallets from the single item pallet replenishment station 11a to the entry station 6. Reference numeral 12 denotes a return route for replenishing a single item pallet.

The automatic guided vehicle 9 which has received the empty pallet travels along the traveling route 10 and stops near the picking station 8 on which the pallet loaded with the articles to be picked is placed according to a command from the central control unit. I do. The picking station 8 is provided with a display device for indicating how many articles are to be picked. The central control device transmits the picking data and causes the display device to display the picking data, and the worker performs picking while referring to the data. When the picking at one place is completed, the operator presses the completion button attached to the display device, and the automatic guided vehicle 9 starts to move to the next stop position.

If there is a request to ship a single item pallet, the automatic guided vehicle 9 receives the single item pallet from the unloading station 5 and ships it.

When the picking of all the articles is completed, the automatic guided vehicle 9 travels along the traveling route 10 and
The pallet loaded with the goods is transferred to the shipping station 11e, the empty pallet is received again at the empty pallet supply station 11c, and the next picking operation is started.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a main control unit of the picking system.

The central controller 14 manages the entire picking system. That is, the inventory information of the automatic warehouse is monitored to give a command to the automatic warehouses 1 and 2, and a shipment request is assigned to each automatic guided vehicle 9 through the communication control device 15. The presence signal is sent from the automatic guided vehicle 9 to the central control device 14 via the communication control device 15, and the central control device 14 constantly monitors the position of each automatic guided vehicle 9.

A block controller 16 is connected to the central control unit 14, and exchanges information with an operation panel 17 provided for each picking station 8.

The operation panel 17 has a display lamp 18 for notifying an operator that a picking operation is to be performed at the picking station 8 provided with the operation panel 17, and a number indicating the number of the automatic guided vehicle 9 to be picked. A number display section 19 and a quantity display section 20 for displaying the quantity of articles to be picked are provided. The information displayed on these is sent from the central controller 14 through the block controller 16 .

The operation panel 17 further includes a completion button 21 which is pressed by an operator when one of the displayed picking operations is completed, and a push button for replenishing the items by the crane 4 when there are no more items in the picking station 8. A refill replacement button 22 is provided.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged view of a part of the embodiment shown in FIG.

In FIG. 3, each of the automatic guided vehicles 9a and 9b runs leftward in the drawing. Automatic guided vehicle 9a
Stops at the front of the picking station 8b, and the automatic guided vehicle 9b stops at the front of the picking station 8d to perform picking operations.

[0027] AGV 9a, except the picking station 8b, working between each picking station 8 shown in FIG. 3 does not remain to complete, working stowage picking station 8 d It is assumed that the operation at the picking stations 8a and 8c, which are the preceding operation positions, is assigned to the automatic guided vehicle 9b.

In this state, among the display lamps 18 of the operation panel 17 attached to each picking station 8, the automatic guided vehicles 9a and 9b which are currently performing the picking operation.
Display lamps 18b and 18d corresponding to the
The display lamp 18c in the picking station 8c, which is the next picking operation of b, is on, and the other display lamps 18 are not on. This is because the picking operation at the picking station 8a further allocated to the automatic guided vehicle 9b is the next next station preceding the picking station 8c where the picking operation should be performed next. This allows the picking worker to perform picking work at the picking stations 18b and 18d, and to select the picking station 1
When the operation in 8d is completed, the automatic guided vehicle 9b stops at the front of the picking station 8c, and can know that the picking operation should be performed. Thus, for example, a worker working at the picking station 8b can wait near the picking station 8c after the work is completed.

If the automatic guided vehicle 9b is
a), even if the picking operation is completed before the picking station 8a and stops at the front of the picking station 8c.
The display lamp 18a of the picking station 8a, which is the next assignment, is not turned on. This is because the automatic guided vehicle 9a that can arrive at the picking station 8a first is ahead. If the display lamp 18a is turned on, the worker misunderstands that the preceding automatic guided vehicle 9a performs a picking operation with the picking station 8a, which causes confusion. Is performed after passing through the front surface of the picking station 8a.

The central control unit 14 controls each automatic guided vehicle 9a,
9b, the presence signal corresponding to the position of the picking station is received, and the position of each automatic guided vehicle 9a, 9b is known, and the display lamp 1 of the assigned picking station 8 is assigned.
8 is displayed in advance. However, as in the example of FIG. 3, the preceding AGV 9a is a subsequent AGV 9b, when present between the picking station 8 assigned to subsequent AGV 9b a It is not lighted.

A display instruction is given via the block controller 16. When the picking operation is completed and the operator presses the completion button 21, a completion signal is sent to the communication control device 15, and the communication control device 15 sends the completion signal to the automatic guided vehicle. A start instruction is sent to 9 and an instruction to turn off the display lamp 18 is sent to the operation panel 17. In this embodiment, after the completion button 21 is pressed, an instruction is issued from the communication control device 15 to the automatic guided vehicle 9 and the operation panel 17 without going through the central control device 14, so that the processing can be performed in a very short time.

The embodiment of the present invention has been described above.
It is needless to say that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and can be appropriately modified and implemented within the scope of the present invention.

[0033]

According to the picking display system according to the present invention, the display device provided for each picking station does not wait for the automatic guided vehicle to arrive, but picks up the article to be picked up on the next unmanned guided vehicle. If the is mounted, the picking station is operated to display the picking station . Therefore, the worker moves to the picking station where the work is performed and waits before the automatic guided vehicle arrives. In doing so, the AGV and the AGV
If there is another preceding unmanned guided vehicle between the picking station and the picking station, the display device is activated after the preceding unmanned guided vehicle passes, thereby avoiding confusion of workers . Therefore, the picking ability can be improved.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a plan view showing the configuration of an embodiment of a picking display system according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a main part of a control device in the embodiment of FIG.

FIG. 3 is a plan view showing a part of the embodiment of FIG. 1;

[Explanation of symbols]

 8a-d Picking station 9a, 9b Automatic guided vehicle 17 Operation panel 18a-d Indicator lamp

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page (72) Inventor Keiji Hayashi 1-2-3 Moto-Akasaka, Minato-ku, Tokyo Suntory Limited Tokyo Office (56) References JP-A-3-249004 (JP, A) JP Hei 1-98506 (JP, A) JP-A-63-208410 (JP, A) JP-A-64-53905 (JP, A)

Claims (1)

(57) [Claims] 1. A plurality of picking stations arranged side by side on a rear surface of a shelf of an automatic warehouse opposite to a side on which a stacker crane runs, and each of the picking stations is provided with the picking station.
In a picking system for picking up articles on a plurality of AGVs traveling along a row of picking stations based on a picking instruction of a display device to be picked up, one AGV and the AGV are picked.
Picking station with the objects to be loaded
If there is another unmanned guided vehicle ahead of
Another automated guided vehicle passes through the desired picking station
After that, the picking station for this purpose
Activate the display device to move one unmanned guided vehicle to the target
Before arriving at the docking station
Picking display system to be activated .